IndyCar: Palou hits $30 million roadblock on road to F1

(GMM) Dominant IndyCar driver Alex Palou’s road to Formula 1 has hit a $30 million roadblock.

The Indianapolis Star reports that McLaren, who signed to switch to the marque’s IndyCar team only to renege and stay at Chip Ganassi, is now being sued by McLaren to the tune of a rumored $20-30 million.

McLaren supremo Zak Brown said recently: “Palou received a significant payment for 2024 as well as millions of dollars for development in our Formula 1 test program.

“It now appears that our faith, commitment, investment and trust in Alex was misplaced.”

Spaniard Palou, 26, has also split with his management team – Monaco Increase Management – over the dispute.

“Together, we had built a relationship that we thought went beyond any contractual obligation and culminated in winning the 2021 IndyCar crown and tracing a path to F1 opportunities,” the company said in a statement.

A source told the Indy Star newspaper that while court documents are not public, the lawsuits are claiming damages of up to a whopping $30 million.

Related Article: Rumor: Palou to replace Alonso at Aston Martin

The pair of lawsuits are Palou’s second legal entanglement in just over a calendar year, dating back to late-July 2022 when his current IndyCar boss Chip Ganassi sued the 26-year-old for, among other charges, breach of contract, for what the team believed was going against the statutes of his active IndyCar deal with CGR at a time when the team believed he was not yet allowed to negotiate for a future deal outside his current home.