MADISON, Sick. — Alex Palou confirmed Friday he is being sued by McLaren — the second group to sue him in a 12 months — however the IndyCar factors chief is concentrated on his bid to win a second championship in three years.
The Spaniard confirmed an Indianapolis Star report that McLaren is suing Palou in the UK for damages as a result of Palou doesn’t intend to hitch McLaren as deliberate in 2024. McLaren has made Palou its reserve driver in Formulation One, the place it has spent considerably on his growth, and claims to have paid him prematurely on his 2024 wage, in addition to his authorized charges in final 12 months’s battle with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Ganassi took Palou to courtroom final summer season as a result of Palou, the 2021 IndyCar champion, mentioned he was declining Ganassi’s team-owner choice on his contract and as a substitute shifting to McLaren. The matter was resolved by means of mediation, with Palou ending his contract with Ganassi this 12 months whereas working with McLaren in F1 on his off IndyCar weekends.
However, Palou is having an incredible IndyCar season. He is received 4 races and leads teammate Scott Dixon by 101 factors headed into Sunday’s race at Gateway outdoors St. Louis. There are three races remaining this season and Palou may clinch his second title in three years at at any time.
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“The legal professionals are telling me stuff about what is going on on and what they assume,” Palou mentioned Friday. “That is good, it is of their arms. I am simply attempting to be a bit extra away from all that to final 12 months and attempting to actually go for races and specializing in the racing. I do know the whole lot that is occurring and I am not taking that aside, however there’s additionally not much more that I can do there, so I can solely lose focus on the races.”
The Star reported McLaren is looking for to recoup between $20 million and $30 million in damages stemming from Palou reneging on his McLaren deal.
The final 12 months has been a wild trip for the 26-year-old. He made his IndyCar debut within the bubble-isolated 2020 pandemic season and went quietly about his enterprise driving for an underfunded group. He was snapped up by Ganassi for 2021, completed second within the Indianapolis 500 and received his first main championship in any sequence that 12 months.
Then the authorized wrangling for his future started.
McLaren mentioned a 12 months in the past it had signed Palou, and Arrow McLaren Racing staff obtained an e mail from head Zak Brown through which Brown knowledgeable them Palou had reneged on the deal. A duplicate of Brown’s latter was obtained by The Related Press, and in it, Brown wrote that Palou had given him a number of assurances he’d be carrying papaya in 2024 and has already obtained an advance on his wage.
Palou on Friday didn’t touch upon any preparations he had in place or what has modified in his plans.
“I believe one Sunday, I will write a narrative, possibly a guide, so all people is aware of what’s been occurring since ’22, ’23, every month” Palou mentioned. “For now, I am not going to provide a variety of data.”
The litigation over Palou’s future comes on the similar time Ganassi teammate Marcus Ericsson mentioned he is leaving on the finish of the season to drive for Andretti Autosport in 2024.
“He is completely happy, and I believe he’ll be in good arms,” Palou mentioned. “I’d say he is been probably the greatest teammates I’ve ever had, in all seriousness. We had numerous enjoyable collectively and he is been a tricky, robust competitor. I am actually completely happy for him. He appears to be completely happy.”