Overview

• Alex Palou told the High Court he only joined McLaren for a credible route to Formula 1 and now believes that offer was a negotiating tactic rather than a genuine plan.
• Palou admitted breaching his Arrow McLaren deal but argued McLaren’s roughly $20.7 million damages claim is vastly inflated and not supported by actual losses.
• McLaren CEO Zak Brown testified earlier that he never promised Palou an F1 seat and said the driver’s U-turn forced sponsor renegotiations and emergency driver changes.
• WhatsApp screenshots shown in court suggested use of disappearing messages or chat deletions inside McLaren, an allegation the team denies while saying it preserved relevant material.
• Palou said he explored an AlphaTauri opportunity in June 2023 and claimed Helmut Marko cooled after a call from Brown; the trial is set to run through November with judgment to follow.