Five-Time IndyCar Champion · IndyCar

Álex Palou

Five IndyCar championships in six years, and the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500. The official Palou collection: the route out of Barcelona, the Ganassi years, and the milk.

Nationality
Spanish
Born
1 April 1997 · Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Barcelona, Spain
Team
Chip Ganassi Racing, No. 10 (since 2021)
Championships
5 (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
Indy 500
Winner 2025 · the first Spaniard
Also
McLaren Formula One reserve driver, 2022–2023
Five-Time IndyCar Champion
2020 — Present
5
IndyCar Titles
25
IndyCar Wins
51
Podium Finishes
2025
Indy 500 Winner

Who is Álex Palou?

Álex Palou (born 1 April 1997) is a Spanish racing driver who has won the IndyCar Series championship five times, in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, driving the No. 10 car for Chip Ganassi Racing. He won the 2025 Indianapolis 500, the first Spaniard to do so, and has 25 IndyCar wins and 51 podiums from 115 starts.

Full name
Álex Palou Montalbo
Nationality
Spanish
IndyCar career
2020–present
Best known for
Five IndyCar titles and the 2025 Indianapolis 500
Rider Profile

Álex Palou: Full Biography

Álex Palou is a Spanish racing driver who has won the IndyCar Series championship five times, in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, and the Indianapolis 500 in 2025. He drives the No. 10 car for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Out of Catalonia He came through Euroformula Open, the GP3 Series — where he became the first Spaniard to win a race — and Japanese Formula 3, before two seasons in Super Formula and Super GT. In 2020 he moved to the United States and made his IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing, finishing sixteenth as a rookie.

Ganassi Chip Ganassi Racing signed him for 2021 and he won on his first start for the team, at Barber, then took the championship in his second IndyCar season. Four more titles followed in the next five years, including three in a row from 2023 and a fourth consecutive one in 2026 — the only driver to win five in six seasons.

Indianapolis The 2025 season was his most complete: eight wins from seventeen starts, including the Indianapolis 500, which was also the first oval victory of his career. He was the first Spanish driver to win the race and the first driver since Dario Franchitti in 2010 to take the 500 and the championship in the same year.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Álex Palou

Chapter 01

Barcelona to Indianapolis

He grew up in Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, north of Barcelona, and took the long way round. Euroformula Open came first, then the GP3 Series, where in 2016 he became the first Spaniard to win a race in the category. When the European ladder stalled he went to Japan instead — Japanese Formula 3, then Super GT and a season of Super Formula in which he finished third overall. That was the season that got him to America. Dale Coyne Racing gave him an IndyCar seat for 2020, and in fourteen races as a rookie he scored one podium, at Road America, and finished sixteenth in the standings. Chip Ganassi Racing signed him for 2021, and he won on his first start for the team at Barber — one of only three drivers ever to debut for Ganassi with a victory, alongside Michael Andretti and Dan Wheldon.

Álex Palou's blue NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Dallara-Honda, car 10, leading a yellow and black car on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2021, the winged-wheel logo on the wall behind. Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda · Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, 2021 Photo: Álex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2021) by Zach Catanzareti Photo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized) · licence
Chapter 02

Five Titles in Six Years

The 2021 championship came in only his second IndyCar season, on three wins. He was fifth in 2022, then won the title again in 2023 with five victories, and again in 2024, and again in 2025, and again in 2026. That is four consecutive championships, matching Sébastien Bourdais, and five in six seasons, which nobody else has done. Only A. J. Foyt, with seven, and Scott Dixon, with six, have won more American open-wheel titles. He is also the youngest driver to reach four, at twenty-eight. In between came a contract dispute that ran for three and a half years: Ganassi announced an extension in July 2022 with a quote Palou said the team had written for him, McLaren announced signing him hours later, and after the arrangement collapsed the London High Court ruled in January 2026 that he owed McLaren about twelve million dollars, dismissing the claim relating to Formula One losses. All three parties announced a private settlement the following month.

Álex Palou's blue American Legion Chip Ganassi Dallara-Honda, car 10, standing in victory lane on the chequered ground at Road America in 2023, confetti scattered across it and spectators crowding the barrier. Victory lane, Road America, 2023 Photo: Álex Palou's Dallara-Honda in victory lane, Road America (2023) by MIDWST.BLUR / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized) · licence
Chapter 03

Indianapolis, 2025

Ovals had been the gap in his record. He had won on street circuits and road courses and taken four championships without winning on an oval at all, and the Indianapolis 500 had brought a second place in 2021 and a pole in 2023 without a victory. In 2025 he arrived having won the first two rounds, then won three in a row: Barber, the Indianapolis road course, and the 500 itself, passing Marcus Ericsson on lap 187 and staying in front. It was his first oval win, it made him the first Spaniard on the Borg-Warner Trophy, and it made him the first driver since Dario Franchitti in 2010 to win the Indianapolis 500 and the championship in the same season. He finished that year with eight wins and 711 points, the highest total of his career.

Álex Palou's blue NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Dallara-Honda, car 10, ahead of a pink AutoNation car on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2021, grandstands behind. Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, 2021 Photo: Álex Palou at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2021) by Zach Catanzareti Photo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Álex Palou Career Timeline: 1997–Present

Born near Barcelona

Álex Palou Montalbo is born on 1 April in Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Catalonia.

Euroformula Open

Contests his first season of Formula 3-level single-seaters.

GP3

Becomes the first Spaniard to win a GP3 Series race.

Japan

Moves to Japanese Formula 3 after a part-season of Formula V8 3.5.

Super Formula

Finishes third in the Japanese single-seater championship.

IndyCar Debut

Joins Dale Coyne Racing and takes a podium at Road America.

Ganassi, and a Title

Wins on his first start for the team and takes the championship.

McLaren

Runs free practice for McLaren at the United States Grand Prix.

Second Title

Five wins and a second championship.

Third Title

A third championship and a second consecutive one.

The 500

Wins the Indianapolis 500, his first oval victory, and a fourth title.

Five in Six

A fifth championship, clinched at Milwaukee with the season's finale still to run.

Settlement

A private settlement ends the contract dispute with McLaren.

By the Numbers

Álex Palou IndyCar Record, Season by Season

Álex Palou season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
2020 Dale Coyne Racing w/ Team Goh 0 0 1 238 16
2021 Chip Ganassi Racing 3 2 8 549 1
2022 Chip Ganassi Racing 1 0 6 510 5
2023 Chip Ganassi Racing 5 2 10 656 1
2024 Chip Ganassi Racing 2 3 6 544 1
2025 Chip Ganassi Racing 8 6 13 711 1
2026 Chip Ganassi Racing 6 8 7 607* 1

Championship seasons are highlighted. Career totals: 25 wins · 51 podiums from 115 IndyCar starts, and the wins and podiums columns sum to exactly those figures. The 2024 Thermal Club round was a non-points exhibition race, so the win and the pole he took there are excluded, which is how the official totals count them. The poles column sums to 21 against the 20 recorded in the Wikipedia infobox, which appears to lag the current season by one. The 2026 row is marked with an asterisk because the season is not finished: he clinched the title at Milwaukee with the Laguna Seca finale still to run, so the points and podium figures may yet change. His two seasons as a McLaren Formula One reserve, his IMSA starts and his 2024 Le Mans appearance are covered in the biography and timeline rather than here. Figures verified 3 September 2026.

Álex Palou in his own words

In His Own Words
First oval win. What a better place?
Álex Palou · on the victory podium after winning the Indianapolis 500, May 2025
Frequently Asked

Álex Palou: Frequently Asked Questions

How many IndyCar championships has Álex Palou won?

Five — in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, all with Chip Ganassi Racing. Four of them are consecutive, and no other driver has won five in six seasons. Only A. J. Foyt, with seven, and Scott Dixon, with six, have won more American open-wheel championships.

Did Álex Palou win the Indianapolis 500?

Yes, in 2025. He passed Marcus Ericsson on lap 187 and led to the finish. It was the first oval victory of his career, and he became the first Spanish driver to have his face on the Borg-Warner Trophy.

How many IndyCar races has Álex Palou won?

Twenty-five, from 115 starts, along with 51 podium finishes. His first came at Barber in 2021, on his first start for Chip Ganassi Racing, and his most recent at Portland in 2026.

Has Álex Palou raced in Formula One?

Not in a grand prix. He was a McLaren reserve driver in 2022 and 2023, tested the MCL35M and drove in free practice at the 2022 United States Grand Prix, which he described as "insane".

What was the Álex Palou and McLaren dispute?

Chip Ganassi Racing announced a contract extension in July 2022 with a quote attributed to Palou that he said the team had written without his approval; McLaren announced signing him hours later. An arrangement to move him to McLaren for 2024 collapsed, and in January 2026 the London High Court ruled that he owed McLaren around twelve million dollars, while dismissing the claim relating to Formula One losses. Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren announced a private settlement in February 2026.

Where is Álex Palou from?

Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, a town north of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. He now lives in Indianapolis with his wife Esther and their child.

What did Álex Palou do before IndyCar?

Euroformula Open, the GP3 Series — where in 2016 he became the first Spaniard to win a race — a part-season of Formula V8 3.5, then Japanese Formula 3, Super GT and Super Formula, finishing third in the Japanese single-seater championship in 2019.

Is Álex Palou the 2026 IndyCar champion?

Yes. He clinched his fifth title at Milwaukee, with the Laguna Seca finale still to be run, having won six races including St. Petersburg, Barber, Long Beach, Detroit, Nashville and Portland.

Shop His Gear

Álex Palou Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Palou wins Indianapolis 500 to earn first oval victory · Indianapolis Motor Speedway (official)
  2. Álex Palou wins the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 · Chip Ganassi Racing (official)
  3. Álex Palou — driver profile · IndyCar (official)
  4. 2026 IndyCar Series · Wikipedia
  5. 2025 IndyCar Series · Wikipedia
  6. 2025 Indianapolis 500 · Wikipedia
  7. Álex Palou ordered to pay McLaren Racing $12M in breach of contract suit · NBC News
  8. Álex Palou · Wikipedia
  9. Álex Palou (Q19244567) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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