Spanish
Sports Writing (EFE).- Álex Palou entered the legend of Spanish sport this Sunday by winning one of the most iconic and legendary events in sport in general and in world motorsport in particular, the Indianapolis 500, which in 2025 celebrated its 109th edition.
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The three-time IndyCar champion, born 28 years ago in the Barcelona town of Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, fulfilled every driver's dream by winning the Indy 500 in his sixth participation. Before this Sunday, he came in second in his second attempt, in 2021. In addition, he was fourth in 2023 and fifth in 2024.
The Catalan driver overtook Swede Marcus Ericsson with fourteen laps to go and defended the first place until the end to close the Spanish Triple Crown, which was waiting for this success in Indy to complete the triumphs of Fernando Alonso, Marc Gené and Miguel Molina in the Monaco GP of F1 and in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
Palou, on the verge of tears, received the iconic milk jug that is given to the champion of the 500 Miles and was able to take his daughter to the podium, something he dreamed of before the race, as he acknowledged in a recent interview with EFE.
Launched by karts
At the age of five, he began racing in karting trials and national competitions from 2005, in the alevín category, in which he was third that year and champion in the following edition. He won that same national title in the KF3 category (for drivers between 13 and 15 years old) in 2011 and 2012, as well as the KZ2 in 2013.
In international karting competitions, he competed from 2011 in the KF3 European Championship. The following year, he achieved the runner-up position in that title, behind the British driver George Russell. Furthermore, in 2012, he won the WSK Euroseries in the KF3 category.
Photograph provided where the Spanish driver Álex Palou (c), from the Chip Ganassi Racing team, is shown celebrating after winning the Indianapolis 500 this Sunday. EFE/ Paul Hurley/ IndyCar
His brilliant progression led him at the end of 2013 to enjoy a scholarship from Banco de Santander to conduct driving tests at the Ferrari Academy.
In 2014 Adrián Campos took him to his team, Campos Racing, and he achieved third place in the Eurofórmula Open F-3, the new name for the European F3. The following year he competed in the GP Formula Series, in which on November 29th he scored his first victory at the Yas Marina circuit, in Abu Dhabi, which closed the competition.
In 2016, he took part with the Campos team in the GP3 single-seater international competitions and in October of that year he also did the Ferrari Challenge Europe professional promotional event as a driver for Stile F Squadra Corse, held in Jerez, in which he was second in the first race and won the second.
The jump to United States motorsport
For the year 2017 he signed for the Teo Martin Motosport team, with which he was tenth in the World Series Formula V8 3.5. With the Campos team he did the new Formula 2 World Championship, formerly GP2 Series.
Convinced that Formula 1 was too expensive to secure a driver's seat, in 2017 and 2019 he competed in Japan in Formula 3 and Super Formula, respectively, finishing third in each.
In addition, in the second year he did the Japanese Super GT. That was a preliminary step before making the leap to racing in the United States, which he reached with the backing of the Monaco Increase Management (MIM) investment group.
On June 6, 2020, he fulfilled his dream by debuting in the IndyCar Series, with almost no experience in this type of race and with the Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh team, in the Genesis 300 at the Texas Motor Speedway oval.
In August of that year, he was unable to finish the 500 Miles, in which his compatriot Fernando Alonso was also running, after crashing into the safety barrier when he was ninth. A week later, he set his first fastest lap at Gateway-2 in Madison (Illinois). He was one of the revelations of the season.
Álex Palou and the dream of the 500 Miles
He signed on October 29, 2020 for the Chip Ganassi Racing team, in which he remains to date and with which he won the titles of 2021, 2023 and 2024.
In July 2022, his team exercised the option and unilaterally renewed him for 2023, a decision he didn't like as it coincided with the announcement from McLaren. He agreed to continue in Chip Ganassi of IndyCar and test with McLaren in Formula One, he was a reserve driver for this team in 2022 and 2023.
At the end of January 2022, he debuted in the 24 Hours of Daytona, his first race of that duration, in which his team passed the halfway point in fourth position, less than 4 seconds behind the leader.
This Sunday, after having won the IndyCar Series three times, Palou touched the sky with the first Spanish victory in the legendary Indianapolis 500.
