2023 IndyCar champion Alex Palou expected to snub McLaren in F1 Singapore GP as legal battle continues

McLaren has been in a heated legal battle with 2023 IndyCar champion Alex Palou as the Spaniard refuses to join the company's IndyCar team for the next year, despite having a contract with them. This is the reason why the company's CEO, Zak Brown, strongly feels that Palou might not arrive at the 2023 F1 Singapore GP as a reserve driver for the F1 team.

According to The Race, Zak Brown clarified that Alex Palou is still a reserve driver for the McLaren F1 team, but he will most likely not show up in the upcoming Singapore GP. Nonetheless, Brown explained that the team has other reserve drivers that could fill in for him while the legal issues get resolved. He said:

“He’s still our reserve driver. So that’s changed, because I don’t think he’s going to show up in Singapore, which he’s obligated to. But we have had a couple of different reserve drivers during the year, so we’re now going to have to extend that.”

Lastly, Zak Brown mentioned how the entire lawsuit situation between Palou and the IndyCar team is surprising. He concluded:

“It’s pretty surprising, how it’s been handled. There’s what’s happened, but then there’s also how it’s been handled. That’s probably as surprising as anything.”

Alex Palou himself came forward and confirmed Zak Brown's prediction of him not attending the 2023 F1 Singapore GP. As per The Race, Palou stated that he is already occupied with the 2023 IndyCar championship and will start working on the Chip Ganassi team's 2024 car. The Spanish driver said:

“Yeah. First of all, it’s because I can’t, just because of the championship [win] and we’re going to LA now [for prize giving] and then we have some testing for the ’24 car [Chip Ganassi Racing car]. Yeah, the plan’s changed. I’m not going to go to any F1 races.”

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McLaren CEO on Alex Palou's IndyCar contract debacle

When Alex Palou's announcement about not racing with the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team was still fresh, the team's CEO, Zak Brown, spoke on the matter. As per Motorsport.com, he said:

“I’m extremely disappointed that Alex Palou does not intend to honor his contractual obligations to race with us in IndyCar in 2024 and beyond. This is incredibly disappointing, considering the commitment he has made to us both directly and publicly and our significant investment in him based on that commitment.”

Alex Palou signed a new contract with McLaren, which confirmed that he will join their IndyCar team in 2024. However, the Spaniard soon came out and announced that this would not be the case. Since the team had already signed a contract with the driver and even invested money in him for next year, the matter is finally being resolved in court.