Alex Palou has been ordered to pay McLaren $12M over a contract breach case and I have all the details in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup. I also have details on Christian Horner’s interest in Alpine, the latest motorsport sponsorship deals and who owns biometric data in F1?
Motorsport Industry News
Christian Horner in Talks Over Alpine F1 Buy-In
Alpine have revealed former Red Bull boss Christian Horner is among a group interested in investing in the Formula One team. “The team is regularly approached and contacted from potential investors, particularly given Otro Capital declared exploratory talks have taken place. One of those parties to express an interest is a group of investors, which also includes Christian Horner. Any approaches or discussions are with the existing shareholders, Otro Capital (24 per cent) and Renault Group (76 per cent), not directly with (boss) Flavio Briatore or the team.”
Sector looks at what “buying Alpine” would actually look like for Christian Horner. “Even if Horner or another bidder were to acquire the 24 per cent stake from Otro, Renault’s 76 per cent controlling share remains the gating factor.”
IMSA Boss Doonan Sees a Rising Tide Continuing to Lift All IMSA’s Boats
IMSA President John Doonan is looking forward to continuing the momentum that’s been building in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for a few years now, kickstarted by the current GTP era and further energized by the growth of IMSA’s non-American audience through the proliferation of live, free coverage of the series’ races on multiple outlets including YouTube.
“We’ve got into a cadence of announcing the schedule early. We’ve got into a cadence of opening registration early, and allowing stories to be told about when people are committed, and who the drivers are, and things like that. For me, all of those things combined has created a very stable platform for all of us. And so carrying that into ’26 is really important.”
Weather-Driven Ratings Spike: 2026 Rolex 24 Hits 901K Viewers, Then Loses Them to Ads
A historic winter storm pushed average viewership for the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona to 901,000, a 140% jump year-over-year. But excessive ad load fractured momentum, exposing how broadcasters continue to mishandle rare audience surges instead of converting them into durable growth. Vantage explains why this was a missed opportunity for IMSA.
Proposal Floated for IndyCar D.C. Grand Prix
The White House and Department of Transportation have expressed a desire for Penske Entertainment and its IndyCar Series to add an 18th race to its 2026 calendar in support celebrations of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations with an event held on the streets of Washington, D.C.
“We are actively exploring the feasibility of a race in the nation’s capital in recognition of America’s 250th birthday,” a spokesperson for the series said. “This would be an opportunity to celebrate a historic milestone for our country with an exciting and patriotic event. As you can imagine, clearing all the hurdles necessary to organize a race in Washington D.C. is a highly complex matter.”
FIA Confirms Path for World Rally Championship’s Return to U.S. Soil
The FIA is accelerating plans for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) to return to the United States, with announcement of a WRC candidate event scheduled for mid-2026.
Organized in collaboration with the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), the candidate event, running from 11-17 June, will see FIA delegates conduct a thorough inspection and assessment of every aspect of rally organisation – from sporting operations to safety protocols. The goal of this event is to evaluate the potential for hosting a full WRC round in the U.S. starting in 2027.
FIA Offers Update on New WRC Commercial Rights Holder Search
Speaking of the WRC, the FIA expects to announce the new World Rally Championship commercial rights holder within the next “couple of months” with an agreement “very close”, according to FIA Deputy President for Sport Malcolm Wilson.
“We are very close and we certainly expect to have some form of confirmation within the next couple of months. It has been a really long process and, as you know, I have bought and sold quite a lot of companies over the years, but this has definitely been a massive challenge.”
Are V8s On the Way Out in NASCAR?
NASCAR and its stakeholders know there is a chance the sport will have to look different in the future if new manufacturers are going to join the fold. The change will come from one of racing’s biggest variables – under the hood. RACER explains why V8s may need to be ditched.
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
IMSA Innovation Labs Launched and More
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Formula E’s Influencer Marketing Strategy
Formula E’s influencer strategy is just one of the topics covered in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. I also have details on the new IMSA Michelin Sustainability in Racing Award, sustainable race fuel at the gas pumps and more.
Motorsport Law Roundup
Alex Palou Ordered to Pay McLaren Racing $12M in Breach of Contract Suit
Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou last Friday was ordered to pay McLaren Racing more than $12 million in the breach of contract suit the team filed when the Spaniard backed out of two different deals with the racing team.
Palou was not ordered to pay anything related to Formula 1 losses McLaren said it suffered when Palou decided to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing rather than move to McLaren’s IndyCar team in 2024. All the damages awarded to McLaren were tied to losses the IndyCar team suffered by Palou’s change of mind.
Five of McLaren’s eight claims succeeded, and while three failed, the team says it will be going after legal fees. As a result, the cost to Palou, or more likely Chip Ganassi Racing due to an indemnity it agreed to provide, could still exceed that $20m mark.
The full judgement can be found here.
Charity Watchdog Opens Inquiry Into FIA Foundation
The UK’s Charity Commission has launched an official inquiry into the FIA Foundation road safety charity following claims by a senior politician that its independence has been compromised.
The Charity Commission, which regulates all charities in England and Wales, has issued a temporary protective order, preventing the FIA Foundation and its trustees “from entering into certain transactions without the prior written approval of the Commission”.
The BBC has all the details here.
The Future of Biometrics in Formula 1 Racing
Formula 1 has been rapidly growing, with each season bringing new rules and upgrades aimed at enhancing fan engagement, improving driver safety, and fueling the sport’s global momentum. On the more technical side, safety standards continue to evolve, and the introduction of biometric gloves and other regulations marks the next frontier of racing technology. Eleanor Schifino writes in the New York University Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law about the future of biometrics in Formula 1 and who owns the data.
“More basic car telemetry likely belongs to the teams; however, drivers’ biometric information occupies a far more personal—and legally sensitive—category. Under frameworks like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act, biometric data is classified as “special category” information, meaning it relates directly to an individual’s physical identity and health. F1 is a sport that spans worldwide, and varying regulations demand different protections. There is tension between the needs of the driver, whose body generates the data; the team, which relies on it for performance and safety; and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), which regulates how and when it can be collected. While this issue has not yet come to a head, conflict over data ownership seems inevitable.”
The Lure of a Rolex Plus the Latest Motorsport Sponsorship Deals
The Business of Running a Race Team
McLaren Racing’s Zak Brown & The Race Media’s Darren Cox
The Race Media founder Darren Cox speaks to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown at Axios House in Davos.
Team & Manufacturer News
Lamborghini Sets Their Priorities and More
Motorsport Movers & Shakers
How Grit, Authenticity and Perseverance Have Shaped Shea Holbrook’s Career
Shea Holbrook has learned a lot of lessons during her multifaceted career as race driver, team owner and entrepreneur, and she’d be the first to tell you that she learned many of them the hard way. But one of the most important ones, she says, is to own your decisions. Even if you regret them.
“There’s things that I’ve done that I said that I have regretted,” she says in the latest episode of The Creative Drive.