Oscar Piastri’s McLaren situation explodes in Alex Palou court case with new Zak Brown claim

A stunning new detail on Oscar Piastri’s relationship with McLaren has emerged in court, with an F1 hopeful claiming the Australian was not wanted by team boss Zak Brown.

McLaren’s team harmony flew out the window at the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend when Piastri raged at teammate Lando Norris’s “unfair” driving following a lap-one collision.

The incident and fallout renewed claims McLaren favour Norris in the championship race — an accusation only bolstered, in the eyes of their critics, by a witness statement.

Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou and McLaren are fighting over damages following a 2022 contract saga.

The 28-year-old told a High Court that racing in F1 was his dream but a contract he signed with McLaren then broke was “based on lies and false impressions”.

The Spaniard, who won this year’s Indianapolis 500, said in a witness statement he now felt F1 was used by McLaren as a “negotiating tactic” to get him to sign for their less competitive IndyCar team.

McLaren Racing are seeking some $20 million from the 28-year-old after he backed out of a move three years ago and stayed with the Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) outfit. The driver has admitted breach of contract but argues he owes nothing.

Palou said everything changed with McLaren when Piastri, the current F1 championship leader, announced on social media he was replacing compatriot Daniel Ricciardo for the 2023 season.

Despite that, Palou signed another contract with McLaren after being assured by McLaren boss Zak Brown that F1 remained a possibility.

“Zak told me in various conversations we had in person, including during the time I was testing with McLaren at the track in September and October 2022, that he really loves IndyCar and wanted to get a driver from IndyCar to F1,” he said.

“Zak told me he believed we could make it happen and that he would give me all the preparation I needed to be an F1 driver for McLaren.”

Palou said Brown told him over dinner in October 2022 that it was not his decision to sign Piastri, who’d previously been reserve for Renault-owned Alpine, but that of now-departed principal Andreas Seidl.

“Zak told me that Oscar’s performance would be evaluated against mine for the 2024 seat,” said the Spaniard.

Piastri has exceeded expectations since his debut and, after helping the team claim back-to-back constructors’ titles, is on the brink of becoming the first man to win the drivers’ championship in his first three full-time seasons since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

Palou, meanwhile, said he talked to Red Bull’s motorsport consultant Helmut Marko in June 2023 about a possible drive with AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) as his McLaren dream faded.

The Austrian asked how much it would cost to get a release from McLaren but, on talking with Brown, lost interest.

Brown, attending the hearing after being questioned on Tuesday and Wednesday, smiled and occasionally shook his head during the session.

Accused by McLaren’s counsel Paul Goulding of being the one stringing the team along, and signing an IndyCar contract he had no intention of fulfilling, Palou replied: “Absolutely not. I think you’re twisting the story.”

The hearing will resume on October 20 with closing submissions due on November 5.

- with 7NEWS