Álex Palou Montalbo (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈaləks ˈpalɔw monˈtalbu];[1] born 1 April 1997) is a Spanish racing driver who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series, where he won the 2021, 2023, and 2024 championships, and winner in the $1 Million Challenge. He is the first Spanish racing driver to win a National Championship in American open-wheel racing history and also the first Spaniard to win in the GP3 Series.
| Álex Palou | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Palou at Detroit Grand Prix in 2024 | |||||||
| Nationality |  Spanish | ||||||
| Born | Álex Palou Montalbo 1 April 1997 Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Barcelona, Spain | ||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 81 races run over 5 years | |||||||
| Team(s) | No. 10 (Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2021, 2023, 2024) | ||||||
| First race | 2020 Genesys 300 (Texas) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 Music City Grand Prix (Nashville Superspeedway) | ||||||
| First win | 2021 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Birmingham) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 Grand Prix of Monterey (Laguna Seca) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 2019 2019 2018 2017 2017 2017 2015–16 2014 2014 | Super GT Super Formula FIA European F3 FIA Formula 2 Championship World Series Formula V8 3.5 All-Japan F3 Championship GP3 Series Euroformula Open Championship BRDC Formula 4 Championship | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 2021, 2023, 2024 2012 | IndyCar Series WSK Euro Series | ||||||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 2024 | ||||||
| Teams | Cadillac-Ganassi | ||||||
| Best finish | 7th (2024) | ||||||
| Class wins | 0 | ||||||
Early years
editBorn in Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spanish racer Palou began karting in 2003.[2] His biggest karting achievement was the European championship title in the WSK Euro Series in 2012.[3]
Euroformula Open
editPalou made his open-wheel racing debut competing in the Euroformula Open Championship with Campos Racing in 2014.[4] He bookended the season, winning the opening race at the Nürburgring and the final race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He also won a race at the Hungaroring to finish third in the series standings, missing out on the runner-up placing by just one point to Artur Janosz.[5]
Racing in Europe
editGP3 Series
edit2015
editIn 2015, Palou graduated to the GP3 Series with Campos Racing. During the first half of the season, he suffered major reliability issues as well as some driving mistakes due to his lack of experience, but his results improved along the season and he closed the year with a victory in Abu Dhabi.
At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain,[6] Palou qualified fourth for the first race, but he slipped the clutch at the start and lost any opportunity to fight for the points. He made another bad start at the second race.
At the Red Bull Ring in Austria,[7] Palou had another bad weekend. Starting from third, he stalled the engine at the start. He later admitted he felt nervous after the mistakes from Barcelona and that that might have contributed to those new errors. He did not finish the second race because of a crash on the first lap.
At the Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain,[8] a gearbox sensor failed when Palou was driving fifth. He was forced to retire and subsequently had to start the second race from the last place on the grid. He managed to overtake eleven cars, eight of them in the first lap, to finish 13th.
At the Hungaroring in Hungary,[9] Palou started seventh and moved up to fifth until a car hit him from behind. He suffered a puncture and was forced to pit. Starting from the bottom of the grid for the second race, he wrapped up the weekend with an 18th-place finish.
At the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium,[10] Palou scored his first points in GP3 as the season passed its halfway point. Struggling with tyre wear and lack of speed, the Campos Racing driver finished in 7th place in the first race. He led most of the second race but eventually fell back to fifth because of the lack of top speed. He later argued that Esteban Ocon was scrapping 0,5 seconds per lap just in the first sector, where the Kemmel Straight was found.
At the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza[11] in Italy, Palou had another difficult weekend because of the lack of top speed. Using the same engine he raced in Belgium, he managed to finish seventh in the first race and subsequently started the second one from the front row. He made "The Great Mistake" (as he wrote in his column) when during the warm-up lap he spun at the main straight and nearly hit the wall. Although his car was not damaged, he fell back to tenth.
At the Sochi Autodrom in Russia,[12] Palou received a new engine that solved the top speed problems he suffered in Belgium and Italy. Because of Carlos Sainz's crash during Russian Grand Prix Free Practice 3, the first race of the weekend was moved to Sunday. Palou qualified just a tenth away from Pole Position and scored a provisional season-high in the first race when he crossed the line in fourth place. He was ninth in the second one.
At the Bahrain International Circuit,[13] Palou suffered yet again more reliability issues. He started from fourth, but during the warm-up lap a gas sensor failed and the car kept on accelerating when the driver lifted the throttle. He decided to enter the pit lane and retire. Because of this, he started the second race from last place. He gained 14 positions, but ended up tenth and outside from the points.
At the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi,[14] Palou won his race in GP3 and became the first Spanish driver to ever get a victory in the series. After being eighth in the first race, he held pole position for the second one. Worried about tyre wear, he targeted for a podium finish. He held the lead at the start and slowly started to pull away from the field. He crossed the line with a 4.4-second margin to Carlin's Antonio Fuoco.
2016
editPalou continued to race for Campos Racing in his second season in GP3. He scored second place at the Silverstone sprint race and fifth place at the Yas Marina sprint race. He ranked 15th in the overall standings.
World Series Formula V8 3.5
edit2017
editPalou also raced with Teo Martín Motorsport in three rounds of the 2017 World Series Formula V8 3.5 championship, where he won three poles and a race. This partial season earned him 10th in the championship. Palou finished 2017 with Campos Racing in two Formula 2 rounds, where he scored 5 points. Palou led the majority of the Jerez sprint race from the reverse grid pole, but ultimately, he could not hang on to the lead with his heavily worn tires and finished 8th. These two rounds finished Palou 21st in the championship.
FIA Formula 3 European Championship
edit2018
edit
In 2018, Palou returned to Europe full-time for a full season with Hitech Bullfrog GP in the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He scored 7 podiums and ended the year 7th in the championship.
Racing in Japan
editJapanese Formula 3
edit2017
editPalou moved to Japan in 2017 to compete in Japanese Formula 3 for Threebond with Drago Corse. He won three races but finished the year third in the championship behind Mitsunori Takaboshi and Sho Tsuboi.
Super GT and Super Formula
edit2019
editPalou moved back to Japan in 2019 to compete full-time with McLaren Customer Racing Japan in the Super GT GT300 class and TCS Nakajima Racing in Super Formula. In Super GT, Palou was partnered with 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Seiji Ara. As a team, they scored one podium at Autopolis but ultimately finished 15th in the championship. In Super Formula, Palou had far more success. He won at Fuji Speedway from pole position and, after qualifying on pole at the final round at Suzuka, he looked to be the championship favorite. A problem with the ventilation duct early in the race immensely slowed Palou's car down and he finished 19th in the race. This dropped him to 3rd in the championship in the end.
IndyCar
editPalou tested an IndyCar in July 2019 with Dale Coyne Racing at Mid-Ohio.[15]
Dale Coyne Racing (2020)
edit2020: Rookie season
editOn 19 December 2019, it was announced that Palou would move to the IndyCar Series for a rookie campaign with Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh.[16] His manager in the IndyCar series is former IndyCar driver Roger Yasukawa.[17]
In his first race for the team at the 2020 Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway he was taken out by fellow rookie Rinus VeeKay. He took his first IndyCar podium at Road America.
Chip Ganassi Racing (2021–present)
edit2021
editPalou was signed by Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 10 Honda for the 2021 IndyCar Series season.[18] On 18 April 2021, Palou earned his maiden IndyCar Series victory in the season-opening race at Barber Motorsports Park. Palou started on pole for the first time in his IndyCar career at the first race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway, although his pole position was earned due to his early-season championship point lead after qualifying was canceled for the race due to inclement weather.[19] Palou added another podium for the season at the GMR Grand Prix and then finished second in the 2021 Indianapolis 500 to Hélio Castroneves' record-tying fourth victory. Palou's finish in the 500 vaulted him into the points lead for the championship. For the rest of the season, only himself and Pato O'Ward would hold the points lead.
Palou then went on a run of podium finishes after the 500, although he briefly lost the points lead to O'Ward in Detroit by a single point. Palou finished third in the second race in Detroit, won at Road America after Josef Newgarden suffered a gearbox failure, and finished third at Mid Ohio to solidify his points lead in the championship over both Scott Dixon and O'Ward.[20] This was despite suffering three engine change related penalties imposed on him by IndyCar. He gave up the points lead to O'Ward after he and Dixon were collected in an accident caused by Rinus VeeKay at Gateway but took it back after taking his first earned pole position and a third victory at Portland. After a second-place finish at Laguna Seca, Palou carried a thirty-five-point advantage over O'Ward heading into the final race of the season at Long Beach, with only himself, O'Ward, and Josef Newgarden still mathematically capable of winning the title. After O'Ward was knocked out in an accident on the first lap of the race Palou drove conservatively and finished in fourth place, winning his first IndyCar championship. He became the third Chip Ganassi Racing driver to win the IndyCar series championship after Dixon and Dario Franchitti and the first Honda driver other than Dixon to win an IndyCar championship in the Dallara DW12 and turbo V6 era of IndyCar racing.[21] Palou also secured his first IndyCar track discipline championship in 2021, winning the Mario Andretti Cup as the season's highest-scoring driver on the road and street courses. For his Indianapolis Motor Speedway victory lap, he drove a chicken-themed limousine, in honor of his favorite after-victory meal of fried chicken.[22]
2022
edit
Palou would start the 2022 season out with podiums at St. Petersburg, Long Beach, and Barber, outperforming his Chip Ganassi teammates and putting him in a strong early position to defend his title.[23][24] The title would eventually be lost to Penske's Will Power, but Palou would still finish 5th (due to countback, as he tied Scott McLaughlin with 510 points) with a commanding win in the Laguna Seca finale to round out the year.
Contract controversy
editOn 12 July 2022, Chip Ganassi Racing sent a press release saying that they had extended the contract of Palou for the 2023 IndyCar season by exercising the option they held on his deal. Included in the press release was a quote attributed to Palou.[25] Hours later, Palou, via a thread on Twitter denounced this press release, claimed that the quote attributed to him was created by the team (a practice common among IndyCar teams, according to RACER.com's Marshall Pruett)[26] and also not approved by him. He also stated that he had given Chip Ganassi Racing prior notice that he intended to leave the team after the 2022 season and join McLaren Racing's roster of drivers.[27]
Moments after these tweets, McLaren announced that they had signed Palou to a contract for 2023, though it was not specifically mentioned if Palou would drive for Arrow McLaren SP, McLaren's IndyCar operation.[27][26] Chip Ganassi Racing responded to this by releasing a statement reiterating their claim to Palou's services.[28] On 27 July 2022, Chip Ganassi Racing confirmed they had filed a civil lawsuit against Palou in Marion County, Indiana.[29] On 14 September 2022, it was announced that an agreement had been reached by all parties that would see Palou continue with Chip Ganassi for the 2023 season, with McLaren signing him to test the McLaren MCL35M.[30][31] Palou was then set to switch to McLaren for the 2024 season.[32] In August 2023, this arrangement fell apart after Palou told McLaren CEO Zak Brown that he had "no intention of honoring his contract" with McLaren.[32] Following this, McLaren Racing and Arrow McLaren sued Palou for nearly $23 million in the U.K. Commercial Court in an attempt to recoup investments made in Palou, including future sponsorship revenue tied to Palou joining McLaren, McLaren's cost when Palou was the test driver, the cost of finding a replacement for Palou, and Palou's $400,000 advanced 2024 salary.[33][34][35] In his legal response, Palou admitted to breaching his contract with McLaren as he lost faith in McLaren's ability to land him a seat in Formula One, saying that he is too old to wait and see if someone gets hurt to get his chance.[36]
2023
editPalou started his season strongly, picking up top five finishes in four of the first five races and winning the GMR Grand Prix leading up to the 107th Indianapolis 500. During qualifying for the 500, Palou clinched the pole position with a new pole record speed of 234.217 mph, topping Scott Dixon's record set the previous year.[37] Palou took his second victory of the season at the Detroit Grand Prix,[38] and then won again at the following round in Road America, followed by a third consecutive win at Mid-Ohio. By winning the Grand Prix of Portland, he clinched his second IndyCar title a race early. [39]
2024
editPalou had another strong start to 2024, finishing in the top five in eight of the first ten points scoring races, picking up wins on the IMS Road Course and at Laguna Seca, and taking an early points lead in the championship. Although Palou only secured two points paying wins on the season, he used consistency throughout the rest of the season to top Colton Herta, Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin for his third IndyCar championship, becoming the first IndyCar driver to win back to back championships since Dario Franchitti did in 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Formula One
editIn September 2022, McLaren announced that they had signed Palou to their Testing of Previous Cars program that would see him test the MCL35M,[40][41][42] first at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya,[40][42] and later in October at the Red Bull Ring,[43] both together with Pato O'Ward. Palou made his debut in free practice with McLaren at the 2022 United States Grand Prix.[44] On his free practice debut, Palou called the F1 car "insane" and "capable of so much".[45]
On 1 December 2022, McLaren announced Palou as a reserve driver for the 2023 Formula One World Championship.[46] He drove the MCL35M during a test at the Hungaroring alongside Oscar Piastri.[47]
Other racing ventures
editPalou owns a team in Eurocup-3 series called Palou Motorsport which currently fields 4 cars the #4 driven by Russian Kirill Smal and Frenchman Pierre-Louis Chovet the #10 driven by Frenchman Luciano Morano the #18 driven by American Garrett Berry and the #30 driven by Dane Theodor Jensen. Palou Motorsport got its first podium in Race 1 at Spa-Francorchamps courtesy of Smal.
Personal life
editOn December 4, 2023, Palou and his wife Esther welcomed their first child.[48]
Karting record
editKarting career summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Spanish Karting Championship — Alevin | 3rd | |
| 2006 | Spanish Karting Championship — Alevin | 1st | |
| Copa Campeones — Cadet | 1st | ||
| 2007 | Torneo Industrie — Minikart | 8th | |
| 2008 | Spanish Karting Championship — Cadet | 13th | |
| Torneo Industrie — Minikart | Ramon Palou | 5th | |
| Euro Trophy — 60 Mini | 2nd | ||
| 2009 | Spanish Karting Championship — Cadet | 3rd | |
| 2010 | Spanish Karting Championship — KF3 | 5th | |
| Copa Campeones — KF3 | 8th | ||
| 2011 | Spanish Karting Championship — KF3 | 1st | |
| South Garda Winter Cup — KF3 | Genikart Lpt | 20th | |
| WSK Master Series — KF3 | 20th | ||
| WSK Euro Series — KF3 | 14th | ||
| CIK-FIA World Cup — KF3 | 8th | ||
| 2012 | Spanish Karting Championship — KF3 | CRG Racing Team | 1st |
| Copa Campeones Trophy — KZ2 | 2nd | ||
| South Garda Winter Cup — KF3 | 11th | ||
| Trofeo Andrea Margutti — KF3 | 3rd | ||
| WSK Master Series — KF3 | 6th | ||
| WSK Euro Series — KF3 | 1st | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — KF3 | 2nd | ||
| CIK-FIA World Cup — KF3 | 4th | ||
| 2013 | Spanish Karting Championship — KF2 | CRG SpA | 1st |
| WSK Euro Series — KF | 16th | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — KF | 10th | ||
| CIK-FIA World Cup — KF | 16th | ||
| 2014 | South Garda Winter Cup — KZ2 | CRG SpA | 17th |
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit† As Palou was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
Complete Euroformula Open Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Campos Racing | NÜR 1 1 |
NÜR 2 Ret |
ALG 1 3 |
ALG 2 3 |
JER 1 4 |
JER 2 2 |
HUN 1 2 |
HUN 2 1 |
SIL 1 2 |
SIL 2 2 |
SPA 1 2 |
SPA 2 5 |
MNZ 1 Ret |
MNZ 2 16 |
CAT 1 2 |
CAT 2 1 |
3rd | 242 |
Complete GP3 Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Campos Racing | CAT FEA 12 |
CAT SPR 20 |
RBR FEA 14 |
RBR SPR Ret |
SIL FEA Ret |
SIL SPR 13 |
HUN FEA 19 |
HUN SPR 18 |
SPA FEA 7 |
SPA SPR 5 |
MNZ FEA 7 |
MNZ SPR 10 |
SOC FEA 4 |
SOC SPR 9 |
BHR FEA Ret |
BHR SPR 10 |
YMC FEA 8 |
YMC SPR 1 |
10th | 51 |
| 2016 | Campos Racing | CAT FEA 19 |
CAT SPR 14 |
RBR FEA 16 |
RBR SPR 11 |
SIL FEA 10 |
SIL SPR 2 |
HUN FEA 11 |
HUN SPR 14 |
HOC FEA 16 |
HOC SPR 19† |
SPA FEA 13 |
SPA SPR 11 |
MNZ FEA 11 |
MNZ SPR 7 |
SEP FEA 14 |
SEP SPR 19 |
YMC FEA 10 |
YMC SPR 5 |
15th | 22 |
† Driver did not finish the race but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete Japanese Formula 3 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Threebond with Drago Corse | OKA1 1 4 |
OKA1 2 1 |
OKA1 3 2 |
SUZ1 1 2 |
SUZ1 2 2 |
FUJ1 1 1 |
FUJ1 2 4 |
OKA2 1 8 |
OKA2 2 1 |
SUZ2 1 4 |
SUZ2 2 2 |
FUJ2 1 3 |
FUJ2 2 4 |
MOT 1 Ret |
MOT 2 3 |
MOT 3 7 |
AUT 1 2 |
AUT 2 4 |
SUG 1 5 |
SUG 2 5 |
3rd | 102 |
Complete World Series Formula V8 3.5 results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Teo Martín Motorsport | SIL 1 |
SIL 2 |
SPA 1 |
SPA 2 |
MNZ 1 |
MNZ 2 |
JER 1 |
JER 2 |
ALC 1 |
ALC 2 |
NÜR 1 11 |
NÜR 2 1 |
MEX 1 3 |
MEX 2 Ret |
COA 1 5 |
COA 2 2 |
BHR 1 |
BHR 2 |
10th | 68 |
Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Campos Racing | BHR FEA |
BHR SPR |
CAT FEA |
CAT SPR |
MON FEA |
MON SPR |
BAK FEA |
BAK SPR |
RBR FEA |
RBR SPR |
SIL FEA |
SIL SPR |
HUN FEA |
HUN SPR |
SPA FEA |
SPA SPR |
MNZ FEA |
MNZ SPR |
JER FEA 8 |
JER SPR 8 |
YMC FEA 12 |
YMC SPR 12 |
21st | 5 |
Complete Macau Grand Prix results
edit| Year | Team | Car | Qualifying | Quali Race | Main race | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |  ThreeBond Racing with Drago Corse
|
Dallara F314 | 21th | 18th | 11th | [49] |
| 2018 | B-Max Racing Team
|
Dallara F312 | 13th | 12th | DNF | [50] |
Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Hitech Bullfrog GP | Mercedes | PAU 1 7 |
PAU 2 2 |
PAU 3 19 |
HUN 1 12 |
HUN 2 3 |
HUN 3 Ret |
NOR 1 11 |
NOR 2 4 |
NOR 3 Ret |
ZAN 1 10 |
ZAN 2 4 |
ZAN 3 6 |
SPA 1 2 |
SPA 2 11 |
SPA 3 9 |
SIL 1 7 |
SIL 2 11 |
SIL 3 7 |
MIS 1 8 |
MIS 2 2 |
MIS 3 6 |
NÜR 1 Ret |
NÜR 2 6 |
NÜR 3 3 |
RBR 1 3 |
RBR 2 Ret |
RBR 3 10 |
HOC 1 4 |
HOC 2 8 |
HOC 3 3 |
7th | 204 |
Complete Super GT results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | McLaren Customer Racing Japan | McLaren 720S GT3 | GT300 | OKA 19 |
FUJ 14 |
SUZ 13 |
CHA | FUJ Ret |
AUT 2 |
SUG 12 |
MOT 7 |
15th | 20 |
Complete Super Formula results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | TCS Nakajima Racing | Honda | SUZ Ret |
AUT 6 |
SUG 13 |
FUJ 1 |
MOT 4 |
OKA 4 |
SUZ 19 |
3rd | 26 |
Complete Formula One participations
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | McLaren F1 Team | McLaren MCL36 | Mercedes AMG F1 M13 E Performance V6 t | BHR | SAU | AUS | EMI | MIA | ESP | MON | AZE | CAN | GBR | AUT | FRA | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | SIN | JPN | USA TD |
MXC | SAP | ABU | – | – |
American open-wheel racing results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
IndyCar Series
edit(key)
| Year | Team | Chassis | No. | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh |
Dallara DW12 | 55 | Honda | TXS 23 |
IMS 19 |
ROA 3 |
ROA 7 |
IOW 11 |
IOW 14 |
INDY 28 |
GTW 15 |
GTW 12 |
MDO 12 |
MDO 23 |
IMS 17 |
IMS 9 |
STP 13 |
16th | 238 | [51] | ||||
| 2021 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 10 | ALA 1* |
STP 17 |
TXS 4 |
TXS 7 |
IMS 3 |
INDY 2 |
DET 15 |
DET 3 |
ROA 1 |
MDO 3 |
NSH 7 |
IMS 27 |
GTW 20 |
POR 1 |
LAG 2 |
LBH 4 |
1st | 549 | [52] | ||||
| 2022 | STP 2 |
TXS 7 |
LBH 3 |
ALA 2 |
IMS 18 |
INDY 9 |
DET 6 |
ROA 27 |
MDO 2 |
TOR 6 |
IOW 6 |
IOW 13 |
IMS 10 |
NSH 3* |
GTW 9 |
POR 12 |
LAG 1* |
5th | 510 | [53] | |||||
| 2023 | STP 8 |
TXS 3 |
LBH 5 |
ALA 5 |
IMS 1* |
INDY 4 |
DET 1* |
ROA 1 |
MDO 1* |
TOR 2 |
IOW 8 |
IOW 3 |
NSH 3 |
IMS 7 |
GTW 7 |
POR 1* |
LAG 3 |
1st | 656 | [54] | |||||
| 2024 | STP 4 |
THE 1* |
LBH 3 |
ALA 5 |
IMS 1* |
INDY 5 |
DET 16 |
ROA 4 |
LAG 1* |
MDO 2* |
IOW 23 |
IOW 2* |
TOR 4 |
GTW 4 |
POR 2 |
MIL 5 |
MIL 19 |
NSH 11 |
1st | 544 | [55] | ||||
| 2025 | STP |
THE |
LBH |
ALA |
IMS |
INDY |
DET |
GTW |
ROA |
MDO |
IOW |
IOW |
TOR |
LAG |
POR |
MIL |
NSH |
- | 0 | ||||||
* Season still in progress.
Indianapolis 500
edit| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dallara | Honda | 7 | 28 | Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh |
| 2021 | Dallara | Honda | 6 | 2 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2022 | 2 | 9 | |||
| 2023 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 2024 | 14 | 5 |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | No. | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cadillac Racing | 01 | DPi | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | DAY 7 |
SEB | LBH | LGA | MDO | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | PET | 24th | 266 | [56] |
| 2024 | Cadillac Racing | 01 | GTP | Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac LMC55R 5. 5 L V8 | DAY 10 |
SEB | LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | ELK | IMS | PET | 34th | 242 | [57] |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |  Cadillac Racing
|
 Earl Bamber Alex Lynn
|
Cadillac V-Series.R | Hypercar | 311 | 7th | 7th |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Cadillac Racing | Hypercar | Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac LMC55R 5.5 L V8 | QAT | IMO | SPA | LMS 7 |
SAP | COA | FUJ | BHR | 26th | 12 | |
| Sources:[58] | |||||||||||||||
Notes
edit- ^ 2 championship races and 1 non-championship race
References
edit- ^ "Palou and VeeKay excited for IndyCar debut after arriving in the U.S." Motorsports Tribune. 5 June 2020.
- ^ "About Alex". alexpalou.com. Alex Palou. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "WSK Euro Series — KF3 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ David, Gruz (22 April 2014). "Palou secures full-time drive with Campos Racing". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ David, Gruz (2 November 2014). "Palou wins to end Euroformula Open season in style". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Banderas y decepciones". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Toca hacer autocrítica tras Austria". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: La remontada de Silverstone". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Motivación intacta pese a todo". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Puntos en Spa, fuerza para Campos Racing". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Luchar en Monza sin velocidad punta". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Ahora sí que vamos por el camino correcto". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Calma ante todos los problemas de 2015". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "La columna de Alex Palou: Una victoria para todo el mundo". LaF1.es. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ "Spain's Palou tests with Coyne". RACER.com. RACER. 31 July 2019.
- ^ "Alex Palou joins Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh for 2020 IndyCar Season". Dalecoyneracing.com. Dale Coyne Racing. 19 December 2019.
- ^ Channel, GT. "Alex Palou Young Spanish IndyCar Driver Is "Natural Talent"". GT Channel. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (29 October 2020). "Palou joins Ganassi for 2021 and win the first race in Alabama". Racer. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ Barnes, Joe (May 2021). "Texas IndyCar qualifying cancelled due to weather". Racer.com. Racer Marketing and Media. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Palou wins Road America in late stunner". RACER. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (27 September 2021). "IndyCar results and points standings after Long Beach". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ Brownell, Bradley (29 September 2021). "IndyCar Champion Alex Palou Takes A Unique Car For A Victory Lap". Jalopnik. G/O Media. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (27 February 2022). "Scott McLaughlin scores first career IndyCar victory in St. Pete Grand Prix". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (10 April 2022). "Josef Newgarden scores first victory at Long Beach, holding off Romain Grosjean". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (12 July 2022). "Ganassi extends Palou deal (UPDATED)". RACER. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b Pruett, Marshall (13 July 2022). "Palou, McLaren announce deal for 2023 – hours after Ganassi says it has re-signed him". RACER. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b Malsher-Lopez, David (12 July 2022). "Palou leaving Ganassi for McLaren, denounces CGR press release". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (13 July 2022). "Ganassi reiterates claim to Palou's services for 2023". RACER. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (27 July 2022). "Ganassi team sues Palou". RACER. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "I'm excited to announce that CGRTeams and I have come to an agreement and I'll be back in the No. 10 car next season! Looking forward to a BIG 2023!". Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ "I'm also grateful that CGRTeams will allow me to pursue F1 testing with McLarenF1 outside of my INDYCAR commitments". Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ a b "McLaren boss tells team IndyCar championship leader Alex Palou has reneged on 2024 contract". AP News. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "McLaren Racing, Arrow McLaren file lawsuits against Alex Palou in U.K. Commercial Court". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "McLaren initiates legal action against Palou". RACER. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (27 November 2023). "IndyCar champ Palou admits breach of contract as Spaniard tries to mitigate damages owed to McLaren". AP News. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (20 January 2024). "Palou eyeing Rolex win and 3rd IndyCar title as he remains unbothered by McLaren lawsuit". AP News. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Horner, Scott. "Alex Palou wins Indy 500 pole position, Graham Rahal misses race". Indy Star. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Palou stretches IndyCar lead by winning bruising Detroit race". The Race. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Palou continues IndyCar domination after Herta fades". The Race. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Palou hará un test de Fórmula 1 con McLaren esta semana". SoyMotor.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ "McLaren Racing - Felix Rosenqvist to continue to race with Arrow McLaren SP in 2023". www.mclaren.com. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Pato O'Ward and Alex Palou are taking part in a closed test in the MCL35M at Barcelona this week with our Testing of Previous Cars programme". Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ "Pato O'Ward and Alex Palou are back at the wheel of the MCL35M in Austria later this week as part of our Testing of Previous Cars programme". Twitter. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "McLaren hace oficial la fecha de debut de Palou y O'Ward en la F1". es.motorsport.com (in Spanish). 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (22 October 2022). "Palou: "Insane" F1 car "capable of more than I thought it was"". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Elizalde, Pablo (1 December 2022). "2021 IndyCar champion Palou joins McLaren as F1 reserve driver". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "IndyCar champion runs in McLaren F1 test at Hungaroring". racingnews365.com. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "2017 Macau Grand Prix". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "2018 Macau Grand Prix". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Álex Palou – 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Álex Palou – 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Álex Palou – 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Álex Palou – 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Álex Palou – 2024 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Álex Palou – 2022 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Álex Palou – 2024 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Álex Palou". FIA World Endurance Championship. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Álex Palou's columns of his first year in GP3
- Álex Palou career summary at DriverDB.com