McLaren CEO Zak Brown has called out new IndyCar champion Alex Palou after the Spanish driver failed to show up for his reserve driver duties with the team at the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend.
The 26-year-old was signed as McLaren’s official test and reserve driver for 2023 with the plan being to move Palou into the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team for 2024 and beyond while developing his skills in F1 machinery further.
However, with Piastri impressing and Norris looking like staying put, Palou assessed that his chances of a McLaren F1 seat were minimal and walked out on his deal to stay put with his current, championship-winning Chip Ganassi Racing team.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 during the Japanese Grand Prix, Brown said: “We have a few reserve drivers with the schedule as big as it is. Obviously, we had a reserve driver that has decided not to show up here for the second half of the year.
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“Ryo [Hirakawa] is a big talent, we want to give him the opportunity to test our older car but if we need a reserve driver, we will make a determination. We have a few others under contract so in this day and age of F1, we need to have a small group of drivers and react if the situation presents itself where you need to put a driver in the car.”
In talking about Palou, the McLaren CEO touched on the signing of Ryo Hirakawa who will join the McLaren setup as a reserve driver for the 2024 campaign. The 29-year-old joins Mick Schumacher in being available as a reserve for the Woking-based outfit.
Hirakawa has never sampled F1 machinery before but has plenty of experience in open-wheel racing, finishing in the top three of the Super Formula championship on two occasions.
The Japanese driver has plenty of pedigree outside of open-wheel racing too. Hirakawa is a Le Mans winner in the Hypercar class following his 2022 triumph and also picked up the Super GT title back in 2017.
While Brown is understandably frustrated with Palou, the no-show in Singapore was something of an open secret. He told The Race ahead of the Grand Prix: “First of all, it’s because I can’t, just because of the championship.
“We’re going to LA now and then we have some testing for the 2024 car. Yeah, the plan’s changed. I’m not going to go to any F1 races.”
