Brown responds to Palou's "ludicrous" claim about Piastri McLaren F1 signing

Zak Brown has rubbished IndyCar champion Alex Palou’s claim that he did not have a say in Oscar Piastri joining McLaren for the 2023 Formula 1 season.

During proceedings in the UK High Court, Palou alleged that Brown told him that then-McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl singlehandedly signed 2021 F2 champion Piastri to replace Daniel Ricciardo three years ago.

The remark was seen by some as implying Brown had reservations about hiring the former Alpine reserve, amid ongoing debate over whether he is being treated equally to team-mate Lando Norris in their 2025 title battle.

“I went for dinner with Zak near MTC [McLaren Technology Centre],” Palou said in court last week. “Zak told me it was not his decision to hire Oscar. He said it was the decision of [then] team manager Andreas Seidl.

“Zak told me Piastri’s performance would be evaluated against mine for 2024. Zak said that, from his point of view, my chance of getting the F1 seat was not affected by Oscar.”

McLaren Racing CEO Brown has now responded to Palou’s comments for the first time, dismissing the Spaniard’s suggestion that he wasn’t involved in major driver decisions as “ludicrous”.

"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 line-up, or the suggestion that I wasn’t on board with signing the hugely talented Oscar Piastri," Brown told Reuters.

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

"Both allegations are clearly ludicrous, and anyone who follows our sport will see straight through them."

Brown revealed that Piastri “laughed” at Palou’s comments when the pair met last week after the Singapore GP.

"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," he added. 

"I’m excited for the awesome racing we’re going to see for the rest of the season."

McLaren is suing Palou for around $20million after the latter reneged on its IndyCar contract to remain at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2024.

Palou has admitted to breaching the deal, saying he lost faith in McLaren’s ability to hand him an opportunity in F1, but disputes the amount he owes to the Woking-based squad.

Additionally, the 28-year-old claimed that Brown had offered to help him find a seat in F1, but the American has denied making any promises.