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Zak Brown addresses million-dollar ruling in McLaren court case

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has labelled the UK High Court's verdict in McLaren's court case against Alex Palou as "entirely appropriate." McLaren was suing Palou for a breach of contract after the Spanish racer broke his contract to drive for the team in IndyCar, doing so in 2023 after it dawned on Palou that he would not receive an F1 race seat for 2024. He believed that this had been promised to him during talks with McLaren chief Brown, who denied such an arrangement, and insisted Palou was simply told it was a possiblity whilst he conducted TPC running and FP1 outings. Ultimately, McLaren sued Palou for nearly $20 million in London's High Court, with the trial taking place in October 2025, attended by RacingNews365. Mr Justice Picken, in his verdict dismissed McLaren's claims for loss of F1 monies, but did award the team a total of $10,194,844, made up of driver salary, loss of IndyCar earnings and other sponsor losses. Another claim worth between $2 million and $2.5 million is to be decided in respect of another sponsor claim, potentially pushing the total up to $12.6 million, over half of what McLaren was seeking. Responding to the verdict, available to read here, Brown issued the following statement. "This is an entirely appropriate result for McLaren Racing," he said. "As the ruling shows, we clearly demonstrated that we fulfilled every single contractual obligation towards Alex and fully honoured what had been agreed. "We thank the court for recognising the very significant commercial impact and disruption our business suffered as a result of Alex’s breach of contract with the team."

racingnews365.com·Jan 23

Alex Palou issues statement after McLaren handed millions in court verdict

Alex Palou has issued a statement responding to the UK High Court verdict against him in his trial against McLaren. McLaren was originally seeking nearly $20 million in lost monies against Palou, who, in 2023, breached his contract having agreed to join McLaren's IndyCar team. Palou explained during his cross-examination in October's trial that he backed out of the contract after becoming aware that he would not graduate to an F1 race seat for the 2024 season, something he believed he had been promised during talks with CEO Zak Brown. Brown disputed this, saying an F1 race seat was never promised, with the CEO receiving a tense cross-examination of his own by Palou's barrister Nick de Marco KC. Ultimately, Mr Justice Picken, aided by the evidence given by expert witness Otmar Szafnauer, decided that Palou would not have to pay any money to McLaren for respect of F1-related claims. However, in terms of IndyCar, Palou must pay McLaren $10,194,844 guaranteed, with a further sponsor claim worth between $2 million and £2.5 million to be decided, pushing the fee up to potentially $12.6 million. Reacting, Palou believed the fact that the F1 claims were dismissed showed the claims were "completely overblown." "The court has dismissed in their entirety McLaren's Formula 1 claims against me, which once stood at almost $15m. I’d like to thank Otmar Szafnauer for his expert assistance," read Palou's statement. "The court's decision shows the claims against me were completely overblown. It's disappointing that so much time and cost was spent fighting these claims, some of which the Court found had no value, simply because I chose not to drive for McLaren after I learned they wouldn't be able to give me an F1 drive. "I'm disappointed that any damages have been awarded to McLaren. They have not suffered any loss because of what they have gained from the driver who replaced me. "I am considering my options with my advisors and have no further comments to make at this stage. "I look forward to the upcoming season with Chip Ganassi Racing." Palou's IndyCar boss Chip Ganassi, added that the team will always support Palou. "Alex has our full support, now and always. We know the character of our driver and the strength of our team, and nothing changes that," he said. "While we respect the legal process, our focus is exactly where it should be: on racing, on winning, and on doing what this organisation has always done best, competing at the highest level. "We’re locked in on chasing another IndyCar championship and defending our 2025 Indianapolis 500 victory. That’s where our energy is, and that’s where Alex’s focus is, on the track, doing what he does best: winning."