Alex Palou lawsuit reveals McLaren shockingly charged $3.5M to field junior driver in FP1 outing

The Alex Palou-McLaren lawsuit has revealed a starkly huge number that Ryo Hirakawa paid to get behind the wheel of the 2024 McLaren challenger at the FP1 session in Abu Dhabi. The $3.5 million figure was comprised of two TPC runnings to get the Japanese driver up and running with F1 machinery.

The London High Court has continued its hearing for the lawsuit between McLaren and Alex Palou. The British team has sued $20.7 million, claiming this was the cost that the Woking-based squad bore when the Spaniard decided to back out of his contract.

The team had incorporated several expenses as wasteful expenditure that it incurred to get Palou up and running with the F1 machinery for his 2022 FP1 outing in Texas. Apart from this, they had to settle for the loss of sponsorship money when Palou backed out, along with several other reasons that led them to quote the 20-million-plus number.

However, the four-time IndyCar champion's defence pointed out that McLaren received or will receive $3.5 million from Ryo Hirakawa for the free practice outings and the TPC running that the Japanese driver did in Palou's place.

This led to the stark revelation that Hirakawa and the Toyota camp in the grand scheme of things paid a whopping $3.5 million for the 31-year-old to get up to speed with TPC running. Then, the FP1 outing was also a paid venture for the WEC driver, as this was the cost that they paid to McLaren to make the FP1 run possible.

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The McLaren driver lineup is ready to take on the United States Grand Prix

Lando Norris (L) and Oscar Piastri (R) after the 2025 F1 Grand Prix Of Singapore - Source: Getty

While McLaren battles it out in the courtroom with Alex Palou, its F1 drivers are fighting for the title on the track. Last race weekend, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri banged wheels at the Marina Bay Circuit, and the air of strained calm took over the paddock.

But the papaya duo are ready to put the incident behind them and focus on the upcoming race, as Norris said (via McLaren):

"It’s amazing to be heading to Austin as Constructors’ Champions! But we still have six races left and a lot of important points up for grabs as we go for the Drivers’ Championship. The United States Grand Prix is always a fun one, especially as it’s a Sprint weekend. The fans always bring an incredible vibe, and I really enjoy driving around COTA. It’s fast with some good opportunities to overtake. I’m excited to get going again."

Piastri then shared his take on the upcoming race:

"I’m really looking forward to taking on the Circuit of the Americas, especially with this being a Sprint weekend. I’m focused totally on performance and extracting the maximum from both races. The track has some cool sections, in particular the high-speed esses, and the layout allows for some good racing. I always enjoy it there and this weekend should be fun too."

With the constructors' championship wrapped up, Norris and Piastri would battle it out for the drivers' title with the threat of a wild comeback for Max Verstappen looming in the background.

Edited by Geetansh Pasricha