In search of a fifth title, Álex Palou impresses his opponents

Arrived in IndyCar In 2020, Álex Palou had twice as many championship seasons as years without one. After winning his fourth title, the Catalan driver's goal is obviously to retain his crown, having also managed to win the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. Unlike in 2024, where he secured the title at the end of the race against a struggling Will Power, the Spaniard was able to give it his all in the final round of the 2025 championship, having already clinched the title two races earlier. He finished second, giving him excellent momentum for the upcoming season. The Australian, who is moving to Andretti next season, sees Palou as a role model.

“I think people really need to watch what he does. He’s a complete driver. He has good qualifying pace, outstanding driving talent, and he knows perfectly how to find the right balance between risk and reward. He’s going to be extremely difficult to beat next season.” Since Palou joined Ganassi, Power is the only other rider to have managed to win the championship title, in 2022.

Alexander Rossi (ECR) agrees, believing that it is truly the Catalan driver who makes the difference at the wheel of his Dallara-Honda. This is clearly a problem for his rivals… but also a relief, in an era of motorsport where it sometimes seems that the team's exploitation of the car is more important than the driver's performance behind the wheel…

“I spoke with some of his teammates, guys I respect a lot, and they told me, ‘I look at his data and… good for him.’ He’s clearly the one behind all of this. He’d do the same thing with any car number. Of course, it’s a team effort, but he’s really in a class of his own.” He demonstrated that the driver always makes a huge difference. In a way, it's a relief. The gap he created is so large that if you manage to close it even a little, you know you have something special.

dream team

Winner of the Indianapolis 500 three years ago, Marcus Ericsson spent several seasons alongside Palou at Chip Ganassi Racing. The Swede is impressed by the intellect of the 28-year-old driver, who will have another season with the same operations team, led by engineer Barry Wanser and chief mechanic Ricky Davis, both long-time members of the No. 10 team, which won three consecutive titles between 2009 and 2011 with Dario Franchitti at the wheel.

"There isn't one thing he does better than anyone else; he's simply excellent at everything he does.", Ericsson said. “What struck me most when we were teammates was his ability to anticipate how races would unfold. He’s extremely intelligent and always makes the right decisions behind the wheel. That’s a huge advantage in IndyCar. And he’s been surrounded by the same people for a long time: Julian Robertson, Barry Wanser, Ricky Davis. That kind of chemistry and continuity is underestimated. They’ve become a dream team operating at the highest level.”

No changes are planned for the dream team surrounding Álex Palou, nor for the cars, which will remain the same. And the same will be true in 2027. Will we still be talking about six-time IndyCar champion Álex Palou at this time in two years?

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