Palou Alex(Spain, 01/04/1997)

lex Palou Montalbo (born on 1 April 1997 in Sant Antoni de Vilamajor (Barcelona, Spain)) is a Spanish racing driver who has become one of the reference names in North American open-wheel racing thanks to his results in the IndyCar Series. Raised in karting in Catalonia, Palou also stood out internationally with the WSK Euro Series title (KF3 category) in 2012, before moving permanently to single-seaters.

His path through the European junior formulas saw him debut in 2014 in Euroformula Open with Campos Racing, a championship in which he achieved victories and results that allowed him to continue his rise. In the 2015-2016 period he raced in GP3, continuing to gain experience in a highly competitive context. In 2017 he expanded his activity between Japan and Europe: he took part in Japanese Formula 3 (finishing the season among the protagonists and achieving race wins) and also contested rounds in Formula 2. In 2018 he raced in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, while in 2019 he returned to Asia with a double programme, including appearances in Super GT (GT300 class) and above all in Super Formula, where with TCS Nakajima Racing he achieved a victory and finished the season near the top of the overall standings.

The move to the United States came in 2020 with a full-time IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing (in collaboration with Team Goh): in his rookie season he achieved a podium and several points finishes, quickly showing adaptation to street circuits, permanent tracks and ovals. From 2021 he moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in the No.10 car, starting a cycle of results that placed him among the multi-champions of the category: he won the IndyCar title in 2021 and again in 2023, 2024 and 2025, becoming a four-time champion in five seasons. The 2025 season marked a further historic milestone with victory in the Indianapolis 500, making him the first Spanish driver to win the Indiana classic, adding to a series of wins and podiums that characterise his period at the top.

A significant phase of Palou’s career is linked to the contractual controversy with McLaren, which erupted between 2022 and 2023. During that period the driver was publicly announced as a future element of the McLaren programme, with a role that was to include entry into Formula 1 through test activities and a medium-term integration perspective. The situation became complicated due to overlapping contracts and differing interpretations of existing agreements: Palou confirmed his intention to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar, while McLaren initiated legal proceedings for contractual breach.

Palou fully concentrated his programme on IndyCar, consolidating his relationship with Ganassi and strengthening his status as the team’s technical and sporting reference. At the end of 2025, according to officially available communications, he is confirmed in the Chip Ganassi Racing programme for the 2026 IndyCar season, in continuity with the just-completed multi-championship cycle.

In his private life, Palou resides in the United States during the season (based in the Indianapolis area) and maintains a constant link with Spain; he is married to Esther Valle and in 2023 the couple had a child.

GP Results

GP/Points Graph

Year	Team	Teammate	Win
Total			0 VS 0

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