When Jean Alesi entered Formula 1 in the middle of 1989 with Tyrrell, he sought three-time world champion Nelson Piquet’s counsel over what he needed to do to look more professional, so he’d fit in with the F1 Paddock. “Get a briefcase,” was Piquet’s sage advice, to which Jean replied: “But I don’t have anything to put in it.”
Fast forward to the following season, and his heroic feats with the tiny Tyrrell team earned interest from Ferrari, Williams and McLaren. In fact, Alesi had no fewer than four signed driver contracts in his possession in the summer of 1990. “At last!” he exclaimed. “I had something to put in my briefcase!”
In this respect, perhaps Alex Palou needs a briefcase intervention? He seems to collect lawsuits as well as mutually incompatible driving agreements. Over the last two years, his situation has been the most contractually turbulent in the public eye that I can remember since those Alesi/Ayrton Senna/Alain Prost/Nigel Mansell days of F1.
Photo by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Images
Patricio O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
The awkward truth is that Palou has signed two different contracts for two different teams for the same series. Not only that, but he has also done it twice now! The fact that the team he’s pledged his future to is the same one that took him to court last year is quite staggering in itself.
He’s also effectively removed himself from having a potential shot at F1 in a couple of years’ time with a currently top-four team that owns his superlicence, which is lodged with the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board, having enjoyed runs in both its old and contemporary machinery.
As McLaren chief Zak Brown stated in August, in F1 “you need to hang around the hoop and see what opportunities are provided”. Heck, Michael Schumacher got his F1 break because Bertrand Gachot was imprisoned for spraying a London cabbie with CS gas!
Back to the case at hand: A commercial court judge in the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales will decide next year what damages McLaren is to receive following Palou’s U-turn last summer that breached both driving and promotional contracts he’d signed to race in the IndyCar Series and act as its reserve Formula 1 driver.
Photo by: McLaren
Alex Palou, McLaren testing at Hungaroring
Legal documents that have been filed to the court from both sides have been…
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