Palou says in his witness statement that Brown had told he him he would get “a chance” in F1.
“When testing with McLaren […] Zak told me he believed we could make it happen and that he would give me all the preparation I needed to get to F1,” he says. “At the time I thought he was genuine.”
Palou said that he began doubting Brown when Piastri was signed to partner Lando Norris for 2023. They discussed the issue at a Surrey meeting, close to the McLaren Technology Cente (MTC) in October 2022.
“I went for dinner with Zak at Beaverbook near MTC,” Palou’s witness statement reads. “Zak told me it was not his decision to hire Oscar. He said it was the decision of the team manager Andreas Seidl.
“Zak told me Piastri’s performance would be evaluated against mine for 2024. Zak said that, from his point of view my chance of getting the F1 seat was not affected by Oscar.
“However, I knew everything had changed. From that point on, I started to be more willing to stay with CGR in the future.”
Earlier in the case, Brown gave evidence denying that he had made any promises. “I told him what the opportunities would be in F1,” said Brown. “I never told him he would be under consideration.”
Palou is now IndyCar’s dominant driver
McLaren
Palou claims that he began looking for other Formula 1 drives, but that a potential offer evaporated after Brown became involved.
“There had been some rumours in the media about AlphaTauri looking for a F1 driver and my name was in the mix,” says Palou. “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.”
