Alex Palou: Five IndyCar Titles, an Indy 500 Win and a Contract Fight

Alex Palou is a Spanish racing driver who has won five IndyCar championships, in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. He also won the Indianapolis 500 in 2025, becoming the first Spaniard to do so. Before reaching IndyCar he built his career in Europe and Japan, and he later held reserve roles with McLaren Formula One in 2022 and 2023.

Who is Alex Palou?

Alex Palou Montalbo was born on 1 April 1997 in Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain. Since 2021 he has raced for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar, where he has been among the most consistent performers. Only A. J. Foyt (seven titles) and Scott Dixon (six) have more IndyCar championships than he does, which places him third on that list.

His 2023 to 2025 run of three straight crowns put him in a small group that had earlier included Ted Horn, Sebastien Bourdais and Dario Franchitti. In 2025 he became the youngest four-time IndyCar champion, at 28 years, 4 months and 9 days.

From a 2015 GP3 win in Abu Dhabi to five IndyCar titles, Palou has built his career on steady progress and a few hard lessons.

How did Palou start racing?

Karting began for Palou in 2003. In 2012 he won the KF3 class of the WSK Euro Series, his only international crown, and that same year George Russell finished ahead of him in the CIK-FIA European Championship. Those results led him into single-seater racing in Europe.

He made his open-wheel debut in the Euroformula Open Championship in 2014 with Campos Racing. He won the opening race at the Nurburgring and the final race at Barcelona, and he took a win at the Hungaroring. He finished third in the series standings, one point behind the runner-up, Artur Janosz.

What was Palou's GP3 record?

Palou moved up to the GP3 Series in 2015 with Campos Racing. Early reliability problems and driving mistakes, partly down to his inexperience, made the first half of the season hard. His results improved as the year went on, and he finished it by winning in Abu Dhabi.

That Abu Dhabi win made him the first Spanish driver to win a GP3 race. He led from the front and finished 4.4 seconds clear of Carlin's Antonio Fuoco. Earlier in the year, mechanical issues had cost him results, including a gearbox sensor failure at Silverstone and a gas sensor failure at Bahrain.

His second GP3 season with Campos Racing followed. He finished 15th overall, with a second place in the Silverstone sprint race and a fifth in the Yas Marina sprint race.

How did Palou progress through the rest of Europe?

In 2017 Palou raced in three rounds of the World Series Formula V8 3.5 with Teo Martin Motorsport, where he collected three poles and one victory, and finished tenth in the championship. He also contested two Formula 2 rounds with Campos Racing that year and scored five points.

His first full European season came in 2018 with Hitech Bullfrog GP in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. Seven podiums came his way, and the season ended seventh in the standings.

Why did Palou go to Japan?

In 2017 Palou switched to Japanese Formula 3, driving for Threebond alongside Drago Corse. He took three wins that season and ended third, with Mitsunori Takaboshi and Sho Tsuboi ahead of him.

He returned in 2019 to race full-time in two categories. In Super GT he drove the GT300 class for McLaren Customer Racing Japan alongside Seiji Ara, and the pair scored one podium at Autopolis, finishing 15th in the championship. In Super Formula, with TCS Nakajima Racing, he had more success.

What happened in Palou's 2019 Super Formula season?

Palou took a win at Fuji Speedway after starting from pole, and he also took pole for the final round at Suzuka. He looked like the championship favourite going into that race. A ventilation duct problem early in the race badly slowed his car, and he finished 19th.

That result dropped him to third in the championship.

How did Palou reach IndyCar?

He tested an IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing at Mid-Ohio in July 2019. The move was confirmed on 19 December 2019: he would contest a rookie IndyCar campaign with Dale Coyne Racing and Team Goh. His manager in the series was former IndyCar driver Roger Yasukawa.

His debut for the team, at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2020 Genesys 300, ended early when rookie Rinus VeeKay took him out. Palou scored his first IndyCar podium later that year at Road America.

Why did Palou's 2021 season matter?

Chip Ganassi Racing signed Palou for 2021 to drive the No. 10 Honda. He took his first IndyCar win at Barber Motorsports Park on 18 April 2021, the opening round of the year. A second-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 followed, behind Helio Castroneves, who won his record-tying fourth race at the event.

That result put him at the top of the championship standings, and he kept the lead for most of the year. Pato O'Ward was his main rival, and Palou briefly lost the lead in Detroit before taking it back. He won at Road America when Newgarden's gearbox failed, and he secured the title with a fourth-place finish in the final race at Long Beach.

He was the third Chip Ganassi driver to take the title, following Dixon and Dario Franchitti. He was also the only Honda driver apart from Dixon to take a title in the DW12 and turbo V6 era. That season he added the Mario Andretti Cup for the highest points total on road and street courses. For his victory lap at Indianapolis he rode in a chicken-themed limousine, a nod to his favourite post-race meal.

What was the 2022 season like?

Palou began 2022 strongly, scoring at St. Petersburg, Long Beach and Barber, and he was well placed to defend his title. The championship went to Penske's Will Power, and Palou finished fifth on countback after tying Scott McLaughlin on 510 points. He closed the year with a commanding win at Laguna Seca.

What was the McLaren contract dispute?

On 12 July 2022 Chip Ganassi Racing announced that it had extended Palou's contract for 2023 by exercising an option. Hours later Palou disputed the announcement online, saying that the quote attributed to him had been written by the team and not approved by him. He said he had already told the team he planned to leave after 2022 and join McLaren.

McLaren soon announced a 2023 contract with Palou, and Chip Ganassi Racing then filed a civil lawsuit in Marion County, Indiana, on 27 July 2022. An agreement reached on 14 September 2022 kept Palou with Chip Ganassi for 2023, while McLaren tested him in an MCL35M Formula One car, with a planned move to McLaren for 2024.

In August 2023 McLaren's chief executive, Zak Brown, said Palou had told him he had no intention of honouring the McLaren contract. McLaren Racing and Arrow McLaren then took Palou to the UK Commercial Court, seeking nearly $23 million. The claim covered investment in Palou, lost sponsorship, the cost of finding a replacement and a $400,000 advanced 2024 salary.

Palou's formal reply accepted that he had broken the McLaren contract. He said he had lost faith that McLaren could give him a Formula One seat and that he was too old to wait for an opening. A London court ruling in January 2026 required him to pay Arrow McLaren $12 million over losses from his change of plan, and McLaren Racing's own claim against him was dismissed.

How did Palou win his 2023 and 2024 titles?

In 2023 the start was strong, with top-five results in four of the first five races. He won the GMR Grand Prix, then claimed pole for the 107th Indianapolis 500 at a record 234.217 mph. He added wins at Detroit, Road America and Mid-Ohio, and clinched the second title of his career by winning at Portland, a race before the end of the season.

The 2024 season was another strong one. Eight of his first ten points-scoring finishes were in the top five. He won at Laguna Seca and on the IMS road course, and led the standings early. The $1 Million Challenge, a non-championship race, also went his way. He finished the season ahead of Colton Herta, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin to take his third title.

Did Palou win the 2025 Indianapolis 500?

Yes. In 2025 Palou won at St. Petersburg and Thermal to open the season, then won three races in a row at Barber, the IMS Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. His Indianapolis win made him the first Spaniard to win the race, and it was his first win on an oval.

He added wins at Road America, Iowa and Laguna Seca. He clinched his third consecutive title after Portland, which was his fourth championship in total. He became the first driver since Dario Franchitti in 2010 to win the Indianapolis 500 and the championship in the same season. He was also the first driver since Franchitti to win three consecutive titles.

What did Palou achieve in 2026?

The 2026 campaign opened with four wins in the opening eight rounds: St. Petersburg, Barber, Long Beach and Detroit, and he claimed five consecutive poles, running from the Indy road course through Road America. On 13 July he attended the White House event promoting the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, together with David Malukas and Felix Rosenqvist.

He won at Nashville and Portland later in the season. At Milwaukee 1 he secured his fifth IndyCar championship.

What was Palou's Formula One connection?

McLaren signed Palou to its Testing of Previous Cars programme in September 2022. His first MCL35M running took place at Barcelona, followed by a session at the Red Bull Ring. His free practice debut for McLaren came at the 2022 United States Grand Prix, where he spoke strongly about the car.

On 1 December 2022 McLaren named him its reserve for the 2023 Formula One season. At the Hungaroring he ran the MCL35M in a test session, working beside Oscar Piastri. His only Formula One running came in free practice and testing.

What are Palou's other racing ventures?

Palou owns Palou Motorsport, a team in the Eurocup-3 series. In 2023 it scored three podiums, all through Javier Sagrera. Its 2025 haul was three race wins, spread across the Spanish Winter round and the main Eurocup-3 season, and James Egozi scored every one.

He also raced at Sebring in 2025, in the GTP class for Meyer Shank Racing, in the 12 Hours. The couple, Palou and Esther, had their first child on 4 December 2023 and live in Indianapolis.

What are Palou's main results?