Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou looks back at his past years in the championship as he gets ready to fight for a third title in a row and a fourth career championship win.
Two different campaigns
The Chip Ganassi driver recounted his previous title fight, focusing on the differences and the similarities especially between his last two titles:
“2023 was magical. Our worst finish was eighth, and we got five wins, which five wins, it’s incredible. It felt amazing. Then 2024, it was I would say not the opposite, but we had a lot of up and downs. We had some races, like I crashed in Iowa, got into an accident at Detroit.”
While the former had been a smooth sailing season, 2024 on the other hand had been on the line up until the end of the final Nashville round. Many unfortunate accidents had happened, from crashes to unreliability, but ultimately title rival Will Power as well suffered from a late misfortune which solidified the Spaniard’s title.
“We had a lot more up and downs, and we were not as consistent, and we only won two races. It was for sure, in terms of results, a bit lower, but still, was still okay, borderline of making it.”
Consistency is key
Asked on what was the most decisive trait of his driving style and performance, Palou cited the overall great average of results, which saw him reach positive points finishes even on his toughest days:
“I would say the consistency helped in both years. That’s what I would say, that it’s been not the same but pretty similar in both years.
“And it’s been because I have a great team behind that even when I struggle and we start, I don’t know, P16, P17 in the race, they get me to the front, and those weekends count a lot, instead of having a P-bananas on the race you get a top 10 that counts at the end of the year.”
Team Owner Chip Ganassi has always been the promoter of a do your best but don’t kick yourself too down if you’re unsuccessful in the meantime kind of attitude. Such approach was also an aid in Palou’s quest for the second title in a row, as admittedly, it helped him to put some of his less than ideal races into perspective:
“Yeah, it was not my mantra, but every race meeting we have with Chip, that’s what he tells us. He tells us to win, and then he repeats that we don’t need to beat ourselves many, many times.
“I think you can see that in the team. Obviously we all make mistakes, and it is what it is. It’s a tough sport. But we know a 17th is better than a 23rd. If that day it’s only good for 17th, it’s better than what I did in Iowa, where I stalled.
Ups and downs for days
All in all, Iowa was a great weekend of damage limitation as after scoring a 23rd place for his worst finish of the season in Race 1, Race 2 saw him end on the podium in P2, countering the effect of Power’s impressive win from P22.
“It was into the back and just trying to make moves fast, I ended up crashing, which ended up being worse than just finishing 12th. I think it’s a great mantra that the team has, and hopefully we can continue to use it properly.”
Palou also discussed the hardships of always being 100% focused and concentrated on the goal especially after having already won titles. While the first time round it’s more enticing, it’s important to keep riding the tide of motivation even after that in order to be successful and able to reach even greater success:
“It’s tough. I mean, it’s tough because you cannot slow down at any point. But at the same time, I think it’s easier in a way. It’s easier because I know what it feels like and I just want to do it again, so I work a little bit harder than I did last year. I’m extra motivated, and I’m super hungry.”
However, it’s not all as hard, due to the fact that some aspects of the fight get easier once you know what you’re dealing with and are :”I would say you have both sides of the good and bad. But yeah, I wouldn’t be in another position for sure.”
