Zak Brown responds to ‘ludicrous’ Oscar Piastri claim amid Alex Palou legal case
Oscar Piastri made his F1 debut with McLaren in 2023 after a contract dispute with Alpine
Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, has rejected Alex Palou’s claim that he had little say on the team’s decision to sign Oscar Piastri for the F1 2023 season.
The allegation emerged during McLaren’s legal case against Palou, the four-time IndyCar champion, last week.
Zak Brown dismisses ‘ludicrous’ Oscar Piastri claim
McLaren is seeking more than $20million in lost profit following Palou’s surprise U-turn in 2023, when he reneged on a deal to join McLaren’s IndyCar team, with a view to a potential future F1 chance, to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Palou has admitted a breach of contract but argues that he owes nothing to McLaren.
Palou claimed last week that Brown had informed him that it was “not his decision” to sign Piastri as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement in late 2022, with then-team principal Andreas Seidl behind the move.
Seidl spent almost three years as McLaren team boss between 2019 and 2022 before a short spell at Sauber ahead of Audi’s F1 2026 entry.
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The German previously worked with Piastri’s manager and compatriot Mark Webber, the former Red Bull F1 driver, at Porsche’s World Endurance Championship team.
Palou went on to claim that Brown assured him that Piastri’s performances would be measured against his across the 2023 season ahead of a final decision on McLaren’s F1 driver lineup for 2024.
In response, Brown insisted that he “never told” Palou that he “would be under consideration for 2023”, stressing that the IndyCar star was only given “some optionality to join F1.”
Piastri has excelled since making his F1 debut with McLaren at the start of 2023, claiming nine victories to date.
The Australian driver holds a 22-point lead over teammate Lando Norris in the the F1 2025 ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Speaking to Reuters ahead of the United States GP, Brown has laughed off Palou’s suggestion that he was opposed to the signing of Piastri.
He said: “I’m not sure which allegation amused me more – the notion that I would not be the one making a key decision about our driver lineup, or the suggestion that I wasn’t on board with signing the hugely talented Oscar Piastri.
“Both allegations are clearly ludicrous – and anyone who follows our sport will see straight through them.”
Brown went on to add that he met Piastri – who has yet to comment publicly on the matter – last weekend with the 24-year-old amused by the suggestion that the American had little influence on the decision to sign him.
It was suggested to PlanetF1.com that Brown had dinner with Piastri and Webber at his home around the British Grand Prix in 2022, as discussions about potentially replacing Ricciardo accelerated.
Brown, whose team secured a second consecutive constructors’ title at the Singapore Grand Prix earlier this month, added: “We have the absolute best driver pairing on the F1 grid in Oscar and Lando – I could not be more thrilled with their incredible performance and their sportsmanship.
“I’m excited for the awesome racing we’re going to see for the rest of the season.”
The case between McLaren and Palou is expected to run until November.
Additional reporting by Mat Coch
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