Alex Palou is one of the most complete drivers on the IndyCar grid and has multiple championships to his name, so here’s everything you need to know about him.
The Spaniard has been battling towards the front of the IndyCar grid since his second full season in the series in 2021 and first campaign with Chip Ganassi Racing, where he races today.
Palou has won three IndyCar championships in his first five years, which is incredibly impressive for a driver who honed his craft in Europe and without the opportunity to race on ovals.
He took his first IndyCar title in 2021, clinching the championship on the streets of Long Beach in a tense finale after a battle with Pato O’Ward.
After his first success, Palou was usurped by Team Penske’s Will Power the following year before winning back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024 for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Alex Palou won his first IndyCar race at Barber Motorsports Park in 2021
Palou made a significant statement at the season-opener in 2021 as he took victory in Alabama in his first race for Chip Ganassi Racing and just his second season in the series.
Barber Motorsports Park is a permanent road course with lots of elevation and sweeping turns that make up a brilliant 2.380-mile circuit.
Palou was quick from the outset in practice, as he topped the timesheets in first practice with a 1:06.4721 ahead of Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta and Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden.
Both drivers were within a tenth of a second of Palou’s time, but it was a significant step for Palou to be so quick during his first race weekend at CGR.
Qualifying was equally impressive as Chip Ganassi Racing’s newest recruit set the third quickest time in the Firestone Fast Six behind O’Ward and former Formula 1 driver Alexander Rossi.
The pole sitter set a 1:05.8479, and Palou was just two tenths slower on his first visit to the circuit. Qualifying is critical at Barber as overtaking can be tricky with short straights followed by a series of high-speed turns.
Palou kept out of trouble on the opening lap as Newgarden spun on the back straight and caused a big crash, as the American retired from the opening round of the season.
O’Ward led from Rossi in the opening stages as Palou followed them closely behind before the Spaniard pushed to extend the first stint as the pole-sitter struggled for rear grip.
Palou got into the lead and resisted significant pressure in the closing stages from Power, who finished less than a second behind the race winner, and Dixon also finished in third place.
Alex Palou won his first Indy 500 in 2025
The Indy 500 is by far the biggest race in the IndyCar calendar, with a rich history spanning more than 100 years, and it is a race that is incredibly difficult to master.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has attracted some of the biggest names in motorsport as well as IndyCar’s most prominent stars across its history.
Double Formula 1 world champion Jim Clark won at The Brickyard in 1965 before going on to win his second F1 world championship later that year.
Fellow two-time world champion Fernando Alonso attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 on three occasions and suffered the embarrassment of getting bumped out of the field in 2019.
Palou has been blisteringly fast on road courses and street circuits throughout his IndyCar career, which formed the bedrock for his multiple championship wins.
Despite this prowess on specific circuits, victories on ovals were very difficult to come by for Palou, despite competing for Chip Ganassi Racing and talent behind the wheel.
Palou even took pole position in 2021 ahead of the Indy 500 but could only finish in second place, finishing just behind Brazilian Helio Castroneves.
He finished in the top 10 in each of the next three years but had failed to challenge near the very front of the field. The 2025 campaign was different as Palou won four of the five races leading up to the Indy 500.
He only finished second once, which was at Long Beach behind Arrow McLaren’s new driver, Christian Lundgaard, during the third round of the year.
Palou was competitive throughout Practice as the three-time IndyCar champion fine-tuned the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing car to have outright speed but still be quick in traffic.
He could only manage sixth on the grid as PREMA’s Robert Shwartzman stormed to pole position for his first Indy 500 event on an oval after racing in Formula 1’s junior categories. Palou was quickest on the opening day but couldn’t quite deliver the best time when it mattered most.
The 500-mile race was unbelievably chaotic in the opening stages, as there were four caution periods in just 82 laps, as cars crashed, making it challenging to build a rhythm.
David Malukas led Palou after they made their final pit stops, but the Spaniard quickly got ahead to get to the front of the field towards the end of the race.
However, several on the alternate strategy hadn’t pitted, which allowed the 2022 winner and former F1 driver Marcus Ericsson to emerge in the lead from his last stop.
After 187 of the 200 laps, Palou launched an attack on Ericsson and overtook the Swede into Turn 1 at Indianapolis as the leaders got held up by Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco.
Palou stayed in front as the race ended under yellow as Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel crashed at Turn 2 on the 200th and final lap.
Alex Palou’s IndyCar career stats
As of July 30th, 2025, Palou has won three IndyCar Series titles and taken multiple victories since stepping into the series in 2020.
IndyCar titles: 3
IndyCar race entries: 91
IndyCar wins: 17
Indy 500 wins: 1
IndyCar poles: 10
IndyCar podiums: 39
Image credit: Penske Entertainment: Travis Hinkle
