WHO ADVISED HIM? THE MYSTERY FIGURES BEHIND ALEX PALOU’S FAILED MCLAREN F1 JUMP
Palou admits "bad advice" led to McLaren lawsuit. Get the full story on the $20M contract breach and the final 2026 settlement.
McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing have finally settled their long-running dispute after the London High Court sided with McLaren against Alex Palou and CGR.
Back in January, the court ordered Palou, a four-time IndyCar champ, to pay McLaren over $12 million. That came after a five-week trial last year. The whole mess started when McLaren sued Palou for about $20 million, claiming he broke his contract. Both McLaren and Ganassi wanted Palou for their 2023 IndyCar lineups, and things got messy when they both staked their claims.
Eventually, everyone agreed Palou would stay at Ganassi and test for McLaren’s F1 team, with the idea he’d join McLaren’s IndyCar squad in 2024. But when the time came, Palou decided to stick with Ganassi anyway. He said he’d lost faith in McLaren giving him a shot in F1. McLaren, not thrilled, sued to recover what they said they lost in sponsorship, driver salaries, performance bonuses, the works.
Now it’s finally over. On Friday, McLaren CEO Zak Brown said, “I’m very pleased we’ve reached a final settlement with Chip Ganassi Racing after a UK judge ruled in our favour in January. Huge thanks to our team for sticking with it so long and to everyone who supported us. Now we can get back to the real business of racing.”
During the court battle, Palou argued that Brown led him to believe an F1 seat was possible in 2024, even after Oscar Piastri arrived as Lando Norris’s teammate. Palou claimed, “Zak told me it wasn’t his call to hire Oscar,” and that Piastri’s performance would be measured against his, with 2024 in mind. Brown flat-out denied that, calling the idea "ludicrous". Supposedly, Piastri even laughed about Palou’s comments.
After the court sided with McLaren, Palou changed his tune. He accepted the decision and said McLaren had honoured all their commitments. “Back then, I was being pulled in every direction and had the wrong people advising me,” Palou said. “I got bad advice or none at all. Looking back, I wish I’d just talked to Zak directly. McLaren and Zak did everything they promised. I was never misled, and I respect how they handled things. I also want to thank Chip, my teammates, and everyone at Ganassi for their support. I’ve learned a lot from this. I’m glad it’s settled and grateful to everyone who helped reach this point. Now I just want to focus on racing, where both teams can compete on track.”
Palou admitted it’s been a tough stretch; he put both teams in a hard spot, and he regrets it. Ganassi, for his part, said, “I can’t condone what happened, but I’m glad it’s over. Hopefully, Alex has learned to keep good people around him, so we don’t see a repeat of 2023. Thanks to Zak and McLaren for helping us move on and get back to racing.”
Now, Palou’s chasing his fifth straight IndyCar title, starting this weekend at St Petersburg.
SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON CADILLAC’S FIRST FOUR RACES OF 2026 F1 SEASON
Discover why Sergio Perez is confident in Cadillac’s 2026 path despite urgent needs for better pace and reliability fixes.
Sergio Perez didn’t waste time sharing his thoughts on Cadillac after the first four races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Cadillac shows up in 2026 as F1’s newest team, but honestly, not a lot of people expected fireworks right away. With veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Perez behind the wheel, the team’s start has been a mix, some moments full of promise, others derailed by reliability issues.
Still, Cadillac isn’t just stuck at the back. Lately, they’ve been right there fighting with Aston Martin and even managed to split them in Miami, which turned a few heads.
Perez knows the team is at risk of falling behind in this crazy-fast development race, though. “We still have work to do, but I’m confident we’re on the right path,” he told reporters, including Motorsport Week.
He added, “Sometimes, once tyre degradation sets in, we can hang with the midfield, but they always seem to find another gear. There’s a long way to go this season, but we’re in a rush to find more pace. We know Aston will get stronger, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Racing Aston Martin has actually brought Perez some enjoyment. He especially likes battling Fernando Alonso, calling those fights fair and satisfying. Still, he pointed out a weak spot: “We’re having fun with them. Racing Fernando is always great because he’s so fair. But we struggled with tyre degradation; we burnt through them too quickly. We picked the hard compound, but honestly, looking back, I should’ve gone with the soft.”
He said there’s plenty to analyse, and really, the key is getting a better grip on their car as they look ahead to Canada. “We don’t have much time, but in the short term, we need to fix the degradation. We have some ideas, but putting them together is our biggest challenge in the next few weeks.”
Cadillac may be the new kid on the block and still finding its feet, but it’s already starting to make an impact. The road out of the lower ranks won’t be easy, but they’re moving in the right direction.
HOW KIMI ANTONELLI’S THREE-RACE WIN STREAK IS REDEFINING THE MERCEDES TEAM HIERARCHY
With a 43-second gap in Miami, Antonelli proves he’s ready to lead the World Championship. Can Russell bounce back in Canada?
David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 driver, recently pointed out that Kimi Antonelli might be on track to overtake George Russell as Mercedes’ team leader.
Antonelli has been on an impressive run, clinching victories in the last three races and pulling ahead by 20 points over his main competitor and teammate, Russell.
At the Miami race, the young Italian once again outperformed his more seasoned teammate, with Russell managing only fourth place, trailing by 43 seconds.
Coulthard acknowledged Antonelli’s rapid rise in 2026, which is just his second season in F1. He highlighted Antonelli’s strengths and suggested that the Italian is, in many ways, now leading the Mercedes team.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast.
Despite being relatively new, Antonelli has shown resilience, dealing not only with the pressure from a driver like Lando ready to strike but also with technical glitches like inconsistent paddle shifts. Coulthard mentioned how Antonelli kept his cool even when his engineer, Bono, was trying to help troubleshoot the issue in a tense moment.
“I think he’s earned the right to lead the World Championship,” Coulthard added, noting that this situation probably feels uncomfortable for George. Still, the expectations now lean heavily toward Antonelli leading the team, especially based on recent results.
Coulthard also pointed out that Russell has the experience and skill to reclaim his position as the team’s lead driver, but emphasised that only one can come out on top; someone must finish first and the other second.
The rivalry between them might start opening doors for other teams. Coulthard noted that improvements from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were already noticeable, especially in Miami.
“Winning in the best car isn’t always straightforward. Many have tried and struggled,” he said.
For Russell, who is feeling the weight of this momentum shift, the upcoming race in Canada will be crucial if he wants to close the gap and halt Antonelli’s winning streak.
