Zak Brown laughs off Palou’s “ludicrous” claim over who picked Oscar Piastri
Zak Brown has swatted away Alex Palou’s courtroom claim that he wasn’t the decision-maker behind McLaren’s move to sign Oscar Piastri for 2023, calling the suggestion “ludicrous” and insisting the Australian’s arrival was very much his call.
The allegation surfaced during McLaren’s ongoing legal case against Palou, the four-time IndyCar champion who performed a dramatic U-turn in 2023 by staying with Chip Ganassi Racing instead of joining McLaren’s IndyCar programme — a deal that had been pitched with an eye on future F1 opportunities. McLaren is pursuing more than $20 million in damages, with Palou admitting breach of contract but denying he owes the team anything.
In court, Palou claimed Brown told him the decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Piastri wasn’t his, pointing the finger at then-team principal Andreas Seidl. He also suggested Piastri’s early F1 performances would be measured against his across 2023 before a final 2024 decision — effectively keeping the door ajar for himself.
Brown isn’t having it.
Speaking to Reuters ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, McLaren’s chief executive dismissed the notion that he was anything other than central to the Piastri move: “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 added he never told Palou he’d be under consideration for the 2023 F1 seat, framing the IndyCar star’s agreement as “optionality” for a potential future step rather than a live shootout with Piastri.
The backdrop here matters. Piastri arrived at McLaren after a high-profile tug-of-war with Alpine in 2022, and he’s since vindicated the faith placed in him. He’s racked up nine grand prix victories to date and leads the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship by 22 points over teammate Lando Norris heading into Austin. It’s a pairing Brown now routinely describes as the best in the business — and there’s not much argument on current form.
For extra spice, the saga brushes up against familiar F1 names. Seidl, cited by Palou as the architect of the Piastri decision, led McLaren from 2019 to 2022 before departing for Sauber as Audi mapped its 2026 entry. There’s also the Mark Webber connection: Piastri’s manager worked closely with Seidl during Porsche’s World Endurance Championship heyday. And while Piastri hasn’t publicly engaged with the legal chatter, Brown said he caught up with his driver last weekend and that both were amused by the idea the American wasn’t the prime mover in bringing him to Woking.
Around the paddock, it’s long been suggested that Brown held dinner with Piastri and Webber at his home around the 2022 British Grand Prix as McLaren accelerated discussions to replace Ricciardo. Whether or not that dinner was the decisive moment, the outcome is obvious: McLaren bet on youth, and it hit big.
The team’s broader trajectory makes Brown’s confidence understandable. McLaren arrives in the U.S. with momentum and, earlier this month in Singapore, secured a second consecutive constructors’ title. The drivers have largely kept it clean on track, too — no small feat when both are in the title fight and both routinely in the sharp end on Sundays.
As for the case with Palou, expect more noise before it quiets. It’s set to run until November, and both sides are entrenched. McLaren argues tangible losses from sponsorship and planning after investing heavily to bring the Spaniard into its fold. Palou, who’s already admitted breaching his agreement, contends the figures are inflated and that he doesn’t owe the team financially. It’s a messy divorce that never quite finished, now playing out with depositions and decades of motorsport politics lurking in the footnotes.
Strip away the legal drama, though, and this feels like a simple line in the sand from Brown. McLaren made its F1 bet on Piastri. McLaren’s CEO says he made it. And with Piastri leading the championship and Norris snapping at his heels, there’s little incentive for anyone in papaya to revisit the alternate timeline.
However this courtroom chapter ends, it’s not shaping McLaren’s present. The present is orange, fast, and—if Brown’s tone is any guide—utterly unbothered.