For Álex Palou, winning is "pure excitement"

The verb "to satisfy" is definitely not part of Álex Palou's vocabulary! The Spanish driver, who was competing in his 99th race this Sunday in IndyCar Since its debut in the category in 2020, it has won for the twentieth time, with a 12,5 second lead which is a record in this area on the streets of St. Petersburg, where IndyCar has been going every year since 2005.

Clearly accustomed to the top step of the podium, the Spanish driver hasn't lost any of his joy in celebrating victories. This mindset was notably shared by Ricky Davis, his chief mechanic, who told American television that while the No. 10 team celebrated its eight wins in 2025 (including the Indianapolis 500), they were also thinking about the nine races they didn't win…

"I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing, but I really have a short memory, and I try to forget things very quickly, or maybe it's my mind that does it."Palou explained after the event. "So for me, winning a race is pure excitement. We are really very excited. We are really very proud of the incredible work done by all the members of the team. Yes, I knew we had the team and the ability to win, but it's never easy. Yes, I was so excited."

Cautious in the first stint, the three-time defending champion unleashed his full potential after the pit stops of his rivals, Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) and Marcus Ericsson (Andretti Global). Two more laps on track, driven at a blistering pace, allowed him to take the lead and never relinquish it.

“I was a bit surprised by the fuel economy the other two were achieving at that point. I just felt it was working in our favor, especially knowing that Honda always gets much better fuel economy. I was just waiting. I wasn't sure if we'd have enough tires at the end of the stint to make it happen, but yes, we did. We had a couple of clean laps, and that's what allowed us to take the lead. So, yes, it doesn't always work out like that. Sometimes you try to push harder, but the tires are worn, and then you lose the opportunity to pit for a tire change, but we managed to save both fuel and tires.”

With his eyes fixed on his 100th career start (this Saturday in Phoenix), the Catalan admits he finds it hard to believe he has already amassed such impressive statistics, winning more than 20% of the races he has participated in: "I didn't know I would last this long (in this championship), nor achieve this kind of success."

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