Alex Palou welcomes ‘amicable conclusion’ to McLaren dispute

Multi-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou has celebrated the end of a dispute between McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing, one which he found himself at the centre of.

An “amicable conclusion” to the matter has been found, after McLaren went to court over Palou’s past decision to renege on a deal with its IndyCar team. Palou said that he had the “wrong people around me” back then, offering the wrong or no advice. He stated his respect for McLaren, which never wronged him, and said he has learned a lot from this whole experience.

Alex Palou, McLaren and Chip Ganassi settlement reached after court ruling

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

McLaren was awarded more than $12 million in damages to compensate for the commercial loss and disruption suffered after Palou went back on a deal to join McLaren’s IndyCar team for 2024, with a view to a potential future F1 opportunity, to instead stay with Chip Ganassi Racing.

A settlement has now been reached, with Palou shifting away from his rather critical tone towards McLaren after the court ruling.

In a new statement on Friday, Palou wrote: “Over the past few months, I’ve had time to reflect on what has been an incredibly challenging period, and I want to address it directly.

“First, I want to acknowledge both [McLaren Racing CEO] Zak Brown and Chip Ganassi. Both were put in a difficult position, and I regret being in the middle of that.

“Also, in January, a UK judge ruled in McLaren Racing’s favor regarding my IndyCar contractual breach. I respect that decision.

“I also recognise that the way events unfolded in the summer of 2023 could have been handled differently.

“While little of this is publicly known, I found myself pulled in various directions and had the wrong people around me back then who I believe did not have my best interests at heart.

“I believe back then that I was provided with the wrong advice or no advice at all.

“In hindsight, had I reached out to Zak directly, perhaps things may have played out differently.

“McLaren and Zak supported me in many ways, they fulfilled every obligation, went above and beyond and delivered on everything they said in their contracts. I was never misled by McLaren and I very much respect their organisation.

“I also want to thank Chip, my teammates, and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing for their dedication and support throughout this process.

“I’ve learned a great deal from this experience.

“I’m delighted this matter has now settled and I wish to thank all of those involved in reaching an amicable conclusion.

“My focus now is fully on moving ahead where two great organisations that I respect deeply will compete solely on the racetrack.”

Ganassi’s statement on the matter was rather blunt towards Palou.

“I’m happy to confirm that we have reached a final settlement with McLaren Racing following a UK judge ruling in January.

“I cannot condone what happened and I’m glad that the matter is over.

“With the benefit of hindsight, I hope Alex has learned it’s important to keep good people around him, which he now does, so the events of 2023 are never repeated.

“I want to thank Zak and McLaren Racing for now giving us a chance to leave this matter behind us and fully focus on the exciting IndyCar season ahead.”

More on McLaren from PlanetF1.com

F1 2025 prize money payouts revealed: McLaren crowned champions as Ferrari steal the spoils

Andrea Stella insists F1 2026 remains the ultimate driver challenge

Brown said: “I’m very pleased that we have reached a final settlement with Chip Ganassi Racing after a UK judge ruled in our favour in January.

“I want to thank the team working directly on the case for so many months, and everyone who supported us throughout the process.

“Pleased we can now return to battling things out on track and focus on what’s set to be an exciting IndyCar season.”

Palou heads into IndyCar 2026 as the reigning, four-time champion. The season begins in St. Petersburg on 1 March.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Australian GP track map replaces DRS with Straight Mode zones