Zak Brown in front of the McLaren garage - Photo: Race Pictures

Ex-McLaren driver blames Zak Brown for missing out on Red Bull deal

11:18, 10 Oct

byKada Sarkozi

Alex Palou says he missed out on a deal to join the Red Bull family after Zak Brown's conversation with Helmut Marko.

"Zak had directly called Helmut, and apparently Helmut had told Zak he was not interested anymore."

- Alex Palou

While testifying in McLaren’s lawsuit against him, Palou revealed that his discussions to join Red Bull fell through after top advisor Helmut Marko contacted McLaren CEO Zak Brown.

He said: "There had been some rumours in the media about AlphaTauri looking for a F1 driver and my name was in the mix.

“In June 2023 I contacted and had a conversation over the phone with Helmut Marko. Helmut was open to me driving for them, and asked for the conditions of my McLaren release.”

IndyCar driver Alex Palou is currently locked in a legal dispute with McLaren - Photo: Race Pictures

Brown was then told by Palou's representative about Red Bull's interest when discussing the buyout clause, despite being told not to.

"Zak had directly called Helmut, and apparently Helmut had told Zak he was not interested anymore.

“I don’t know what happened in that conversation, but for sure it didn’t help because suddenly Helmut was not interested anymore," he concluded.

The $21 million case continues

McLaren is suing Palou for $21 million, after he breached his contract with the team and remained with Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar.

The Spaniard testified in front of the High Court in London a day ago, explaining how he feels lied to by McLaren CEO Brown.

Palou said he joined the team with the aim of moving to Formula 1, but became ‘upset’ and ‘worried’ when the team announced the signing of Oscar Piastri.

Brown, however, stated in court: "I never strung along Alex. I never told him he would be under consideration for 2023 ... there was some optionality to join F1."

Read also

Today, the now four-time IndyCar champion will be cross-examined in court.

The case continues.

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