Alex Palou claims he broke McLaren contract because of ‘lost trust’ in Zak Brown’s led side’s willingness to give him F1 opportunities

Alex Palou had big expectations from the McLaren group regarding his F1 prospects.

Alex Palou claims he broke McLaren contract because of ‘lost trust’ in Zak Brown’s led side’s willingness to give him F1 opportunities

Zak Brown and Alex Palou (Via IMAGO)

IndyCar driver, Alex Palou was in the headlines during the 2023 F1 season for his spat with the McLaren F1 team. He and McLaren CEO, Zak Brown had a verbal spat with each other that left a sour taste in the mouths of both parties. While the saga somewhat cooled off with time, Palou has once again brought it into the limelight.

Alex Palou was contracted by McLaren and was seen at a few F1 Grand Prix events with them on past occasions, he was slated to drive for them in IndyCar in 2024, but ahead of it, he broke his deal. A lot was made of it back then, but Palou has recently shed more light on it and indicated that he lost trust in the papaya team.

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While shedding light on it, he told IndyStar that he “lost trust and confidence” in the McLaren team to give him an F1 seat and this is what prompted him to cut all ties with them. Palou ardently feels that he was not given the support that he was expecting from Zak Brown and Co.

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The two parties are currently in court as McLaren is claiming damages of more than $22 Million whereas Palou’s lawyers have deemed some of the allegations as nothing short of “embarrassing for want of particularity.” The saga is all set to stretch for at least a few more months.

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Alex Palou’s dream is to race in Formula 1

While Alex Palou has got his hands full with the ongoing McLaren saga, he has on several past occasions made it known that he wants to compete at the pinnacle of motor racing. He believes that he has what it takes to compete against the best F1 drivers and wants to test himself against them.

Alex Palou (Credits: Forbes)
Alex Palou (Credits: Forbes)

Palou has proved his mettle on several occasions in the IndyCar Championship and feels, that it would be just about right that he is given an opportunity in F1. During his spat with McLaren, several rumors made the rounds of him having conversations with AlphaTauri and Williams for a 2024 drive.

However, nothing came out of it as AlphaTauri decided to stick with Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. While one seat at Williams is still wide open, there is an extremely low chance that it would be given to Alex Palou. There are already quite a few contenders in line for the coveted seat.

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