Zak Brown Accused Of ‘Playing The Victim’ As McLaren Contract Saga Continues

Posted on August 13, 2023 | by Charley Williams Ooooft. The plot thickens. Thank you, IndyCar, for providing the summer break drama we F1 fans were waiting for. Over the weekend, it transpired that IndyCar championship leader Alex Palou would not be leaving Ganassi to join McLaren’s US team in 2024 as initially thought. McLaren boss Zak Brown found himself in the middle of contract drama once again. He’s already paid Palou a portion of his 2024 earnings, in addition to the millions of dollars spent toward developing him for a possible future F1 seat, but Alex has decided he’s not coming to McLaren after all. Brown issued a statement to the media, including The Race, saying: “I’m extremely disappointed that Alex Palou does not intend to honour his contractual obligations to race with us in IndyCar in 2024 and beyond. “That is all I have to say on the topic for the time being.” It was only a matter of time before Chip Ganassi, owner of Palou’s current team, hit back with his own statement: “Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t make a habit of commenting about contract situations. “Subsequently, I have been quiet since day one of this story, but now I feel I must respond. I grew up respecting the McLaren team and their success. The new management does not get my same respect. “Alex Palou has been a part of our team and under contract since the 2021 season. It is the interference of that contract from McLaren that began this process, and ironically, they are now playing the victim. “Simply stated, the position of McLaren IndyCar regarding our driver is inaccurate and wrong, he remains under contract with CGR.” For context, in 2022, Palou announced his intention to leave Chip Ganassi Racing to join McLaren in 2023. However, Ganassi filed a lawsuit stating he had to honour his contract with them. This ended in a settlement where Alex remained with CGR in IndyCar but was allowed to do some F1 running with McLaren, with everyone assuming he’d join the Arrow McLaren squad for 2024. Not any more! It’s all heating up in IndyCar! ????