McLaren boss Zak Brown admits to offering IndyCar champion Alex Palou to Williams

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has confirmed that he explored potential Formula 1 opportunities for Alex Palou, including a conversation with Williams, before the Spaniard’s controversial decision to walk away. The revelation emerged during day 12 of hearings at London’s High Court, where the $20 million lawsuit between McLaren and Palou continues to unfold.

According to court documents, Red Bull had shown interest in Palou. He reached out to Helmut Marko about a seat at AlphaTauri in mid-2023, but the opportunity fell through after Brown’s involvement.

“There had been some rumours in the media about AlphaTauri looking for a F1 driver and my name was in the mix. In June 2023 I contacted and had a conversation over the phone with Helmut Marko. Helmut was open to me driving for them, and asked for the conditions of my McLaren release. Zak had directly called Helmut, and apparently Helmut had told Zak he was not interested anymore. I don’t know what happened in that conversation, but for sure it didn’t help because suddenly Helmut was not interested anymore,” said Palou in his witness statement (via Motorsport Magazine).

Alex Palou said that the episode confirmed his suspicion that his F1 route was blocked. During his cross-examination, McLaren’s barrister, Paul Goulding KC, pressed Palou on whether he had been given fair opportunities to pursue Formula 1 through other channels.

It was during this questioning that Brown’s outreach to Williams came to light. According to both sides, Brown had made contact with team principal James Vowles to discuss potential interest in Palou, to secure him an alternate F1 team. As per The Athletic, Brown, while under cross-examination, also revealed that a free practice testing session for McLaren’s Formula 1, which was part of their ‘testing previous car programme’, had put Palou on the radar of other F1 teams, including Williams and AlphaTauri. However, no agreement materialized, and the conversation went no further.

Alex Palou (28) ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of the USA. Source: Getty

Brown, who was present in court, reiterated earlier that he had always been transparent.

“I told him what the opportunities would be in F1. I never told him he would be under consideration,” Brown said (via Motorsport Magazine).

As Goulding pressed on, Palou defended his decision to remain at Ganassi, insisting it was driven by McLaren's signing of Oscar Piastri to replace Daniel Ricciardo. He emphasized that he had no intention to mislead the Woking-based outfit but had reached the conclusion that his F1 prospects were nonexistent.

---

Alex Palou says he “still wanted F1 over IndyCar” despite McLaren fallout

Alex Palou ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of the USA on October 21, 2022. Source: Getty

After winning four IndyCar titles in the last five years, including a third straight championship in 2025, Alex Palou admitted in court that his heart was still set on Formula 1. His time with McLaren’s testing program reignited that ambition. Yet the path forward remains elusive.

Under questioning from his own counsel on October 10, Nick De Marco KC, Palou explained what he would have done if McLaren had exercised its team option for 2027 under the disputed contract.

“You could refuse that extension on the condition you did not race for another IndyCar team in the 2027 season,” De Marco said.

Palou replied: “At that point I think I had the ability to not race in IndyCar but still try to get a Formula 1 reserve role with another team, so that is what I would have tried to do: that was my dream.” (via Motorsport Magazine)

For the Papaya outfit, the case has become a public test of its credibility and contract enforcement, which could reshape how teams structure their cross-series commitments in the future.

The Spaniard’s cross-examination is set to continue next week.