Alex Palou

From Racing in Spain to Success in Japan

Álex Palou has already competed in multiple racing classes and won several races in his still-young motorsport career. The Spaniard finished third in the Euroformula Open Championship in 2014 with Campos Racing and also secured second place in the Spanish Formula 3 Championship with the same team that year.

From 2017 to the end of 2019, Palou spent much of his time racing in Japan, where he achieved multiple wins. In 2017, he finished third in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship with the team Threebond with Drago Corse, securing three victories. In the same year, Palou also competed in the World Series Formula V8 3.5 for Teo Martín Motorsport, winning one race and finishing tenth in the championship.

In 2019, Álex Palou raced in the Japanese Super Formula for TCS Nakajima Racing, finishing third in the championship with a highlight victory at Fuji Speedway.

Successful Test Leads to IndyCar Debut

As a result of his successes in Japan, Palou was invited to test a Dale Coyne Racing car later that year at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The young Spaniard made a strong impression during this test, earning him a full-time seat with the same team in 2020. In his debut season, the former Super GT driver managed to finish eleven of the fourteen races, with a third-place finish at Road America as his best result.

Impressive Debut and Move to Chip Ganassi Racing

Chip Ganassi was convinced of Palou's talent, despite his modest debut season with only three top-ten finishes, and signed him for the 2021 season. Palou replaced Felix Rosenqvist, who moved to Arrow McLaren SP, in the car with number 10.

The move to Chip Ganassi Racing proved to be a golden decision for both Palou and the team. In his second season in the premier open-wheel class in the United States, Palou achieved ten top-five finishes in sixteen races, including a second place at the Indianapolis 500 and three wins. These performances earned him his first NTT IndyCar Series title in 2021.

Challenges in 2022

After the great success of 2021, the 2022 season proved to be much more challenging. Reportedly, Palou drove with a cracked chassis for a significant portion of the season, which cost him a lot of speed. He received a new chassis for the season finale at Laguna Seca, where he won convincingly, but he could only secure fifth place in the championship overall.

Dominant Champion in 2023

Palou started 2023 relatively quietly, but by winning five of the last thirteen races and securing four additional podium finishes, he won his second championship that year with dominance. In 2024, Palou didn't win as many races as he did the previous year, but by consistently finishing in the top five, the Spaniard built up a commanding lead. Unlike in 2023, Palou had to fight for the title until the final race in 2024, but he secured his third championship at the Nashville Superspeedway.