Alex Palou

Born:

April 01 1997

Nationality:

Spain

First race:

Texas, 2020

Races:

Wins:

Race Win %:

19.39%

No.:

Team:

Ganassi Racing

About Alex Palou

Biography

Performance by Circuit Type

Wins

Results

Biography

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, 2024 and 2025

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. In 2025, Palou was dominant and cruised to his fourth IndyCar championship.

Performance by Circuit Type

Type	Races	Avg Finish	Wins	Race Win %
Roadcourse	41	6.0000	15	36.59%
Oval	33	8.8788	2	6.06%
Streetcourse	24	6.8750	2	8.33%

Wins

#	Jaar	Date (ET)	Race	Type
1	2021	April 18	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse
2	2021	June 20	REV Group Grand Prix Road America	Roadcourse
3	2021	September 12	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse
4	2022	September 11	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse
5	2023	May 13	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse
6	2023	June 4	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit	Streetcourse
7	2023	June 18	Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse
8	2023	July 2	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse
9	2023	September 3	Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse
10	2024	May 11	Sonsio Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse
11	2024	June 23	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse
12	2025	March 2	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse
13	2025	March 23	The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix The Termal Club	Roadcourse
14	2025	May 4	Alabama Indy Grand Prix Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse
15	2025	May 10	Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse
16	2025	May 25	109th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval
17	2025	June 22	XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse
18	2025	July 13	Farm to Finish 275 Iowa Speedway	Oval
19	2025	July 27	Java House Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse

Results

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2020
June 6	Genesys 300 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	23
July 4	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	19
July 11	REV Group Grand Prix - Race 1 Road America	Roadcourse	3
July 12	REV Group Grand Prix - Race 2 Road America	Roadcourse	7
July 17	Iowa IndyCar 250s - Race 1 Iowa Speedway	Oval	11
July 18	Iowa IndyCar 250s - Race 2 Iowa Speedway	Oval	14
August 23	104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	28
August 29	Bommarito Automotive 250s - Race 1 Gateway	Oval	15
August 30	Bommarito Automotive 250s - Race 2 Gateway	Oval	12
September 12	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Race 1 Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	12
September 13	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Race 2 Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	23
October 2	INDYCAR Harvest GP - Race 1 Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	17
October 3	INDYCAR Harvest GP - Race 2 Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	9
October 25	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	13

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2021
April 18	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	1
April 25	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	17
May 1	Genesys 300 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	4
May 2	XPEL 375 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	7
May 15	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	3
May 30	105th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	2
June 12	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Race 1 Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	15
June 13	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Race 2 Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	3
June 20	REV Group Grand Prix Road America	Roadcourse	1
July 4	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	3
August 8	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville	Streetcourse	7
August 14	Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	27
August 21	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	20
September 12	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	1
September 19	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	2
September 26	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	4

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2022
February 27	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	2
March 20	XPEL 375 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	7
April 10	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	3
May 1	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	2
May 14	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	20
May 29	106th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	9
June 5	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	6
June 12	Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	27
July 3	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	2
July 17	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	6
July 23	Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	6
July 24	Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 Iowa Speedway	Oval	13
July 30	Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	10
August 7	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville	Streetcourse	3
August 20	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	9
September 4	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	12
September 11	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	1

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2023
March 5	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	8
April 2	Texas Indy 375 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	3
April 16	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	5
April 30	Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	5
May 13	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	1
May 28	107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	4
June 4	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit	Streetcourse	1
June 18	Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	1
July 2	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	1
July 16	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	2
July 22	Hy-Vee Homefront 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	8
July 23	Hy-Vee One Step 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	3
August 6	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville	Streetcourse	3
August 12	Gallagher Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	7
August 27	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	7
September 3	Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	1
September 10	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	3

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2024
March 10	Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	4
March 24	The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge The Termal Club	Roadcourse	1
April 21	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	3
April 28	Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	5
May 11	Sonsio Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	1
May 26	108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	5
June 2	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit	Streetcourse	16
June 9	XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	4
June 23	Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	1
July 7	Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	2
July 13	Hy-Vee Homefront 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	23
July 14	Hy-Vee One Step 250 Iowa Speedway	Oval	2
July 21	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	4
August 17	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	4
August 25	Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	2
August 31	Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s - Race 1 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	5
September 1	Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s - Race 2 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	19
September 15	Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville Superspeedway	Oval	11

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2025
March 2	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	1
March 23	The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix The Termal Club	Roadcourse	1
April 13	Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	2
May 4	Alabama Indy Grand Prix Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	1
May 10	Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	1
May 25	109th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	1
June 1	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Detroit	Streetcourse	25
June 15	Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Gateway	Oval	8
June 22	XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Road America	Roadcourse	1
July 6	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	2
July 12	Synk 275 Iowa Speedway	Oval	5
July 13	Farm to Finish 275 Iowa Speedway	Oval	1
July 20	Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	12
July 27	Java House Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	1
August 10	BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland Portland	Roadcourse	3
August 24	Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	2
August 31	Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix Nashville Superspeedway	Oval	2