Photo: Race Pictures

F1 Today: McLaren settles dispute with driver, Cadillac makes major announcement

21:07, 27 Feb

bySamson Ero

From the McLaren team settling its dispute with Alex Palou to the Cadillac outfit announcing a major update to its chassis, we bring you up to speed with the latest happenings across Formula 1 with our F1 Today.

McLaren $12m dispute with Palou ends

Palou has confirmed that he has reached a settlement with McLaren following a long-running contractual dispute between the parties.

The IndyCar driver, who had been embroiled in a legal battle with the McLaren outfit, was mandated to pay a settlement of over $12 million following a five-week trial, during which a London High Court found that the Chip Ganassi driver had backed out of two separate deals with the racing team.

Alex Palou announced his legal battle with McLaren has ended – Photo: Race Pictures

However, ahead of the opening race of the 2026 IndyCar season, Palou confirmed that the dispute has now been resolved. In a detailed statement, the reigning IndyCar champion admitted he had mismanaged the situation, citing poor advice at the time, while also stressing that McLaren CEO Zak Brown was not at fault.

Cadillac names first F1 chassis after world champion

While the F1 world digested the news of Palou and McLaren, the Cadillac Formula 1 team announced that its inaugural F1 chassis will carry the designation MAC-26, standing for Mario Andretti Cadillac 26.

Photo: Cadillac F1

In a press statement, the American outfit explained that the name was chosen to honour 1978 F1 World Champion Mario Andretti and recognise his enduring influence on the team’s formation and competitive ambitions. The announcement comes on the eve of Andretti’s 86th birthday, February 28.