No matter how they started, McLaren ended their 2023 season on a brilliant high. The Woking outfit introduced changes right before the summer break which put them second on the grid and Lando Norris made the most of it. Perhaps it was his second-half performances that put him second to only one F1 driver on a prestigious list. Despite that, McLaren will be disappointed by the rankings.

The list in question is the sporting magazine Autosport’s annual ranking of the top 50 drivers. These rankings weigh the performances of racing drivers from various disciplines to consolidate a list. Both McLaren men, Norris and Oscar Piastri, made the list. However, it’s the inclusion and rank of almost McLaren man Alex Palou that would sting a bit.

Alex Palou’s triumph over Lando Norris rubs salt into McLaren’s $23 million wounds

McLaren earned its reputation as a car manufacturer through Formula 1. However, the Woking-based outfit did not bank on the circus alone and diversified. This diversification also gave birth to their IndyCar wing. Now, carrying high expectations wherever they go, Zak Brown signed Alex Palou for their IndyCar team in 2022 to drive for the team from 2024 onwards. However, the Spaniard refracted and announced his decision to not honor the deal.

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McLaren filed a lawsuit against Palou demanding a whopping $23 million in damages. To add insult to injury, the IndyCar champion extended his contract till 2026 with the team he won the championship with in 2023.

Misery piled on as Palou was ranked the second-best driver in 2023 behind a certain F1 record breaker in the prestigious Autosport ranking. McLaren’s star man Norris was third-ranked but seeing Palou ranked higher than Norris, as we claimed earlier, would’ve stung.

Alex Palou Finds Himself in $23,000,000 Muck as Zak Brown & Co. Refuses to Back Down in Legal Battle

There is a lot of drama ongoing in McLaren IndyCar world even if they can be satisfied with their output in the circus in 2023. This was perhaps the reason Palou shut the doors on his F1 dream.

Alex Palou reveals the reason behind his McLaren contract dismissal while shutting the F1 doors

Every driver not driving in the premier class dreams of doing so no matter how successful they are or what series they drive for. Palou is no different which was his primary reason to choose McLaren in the first place. The IndyCar man would’ve taken on the reserve driver duties at the McLaren works team for 2024. However, he lost confidence in his chances of making it in the circus through the McLaren channels, perhaps because of the two younger and extremely talented drivers the F1 team currently possesses.

Si.com quoted Palou as he admitted he “lost trust and confidence that [McLaren] genuinely intended to support his ambition to race in the Formula One Series”.

In the past as well, he shut the doors for a chance in F1. He said, “[The] door opened a little bit with McLaren. It was amazing. I got to test the [F1] cars and also Practice One at COTA last year, which was amazing. The opportunity was great, but there was nothing else there saying, ‘Oh, you will have a car’.”

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However, McLaren did not rest as they signed Pato O’Ward, another F1 hopeful talent to drive for the team in 2024, and Ryō Hirakawa, a Toyota endurance racer, as reserve drivers.

Do you see any IndyCar drivers making it to F1 and being successful?