Alex Palou makes it three IndyCar titles in four years
At 27, Alex Palou is in his racing prime, and already an IndyCar great – but don’t expect a jump to F1
Express delivery: it’s now three IndyCar crowns in four years for Chip Ganassi’s Álex Palou
James Black
As we celebrate in this issue four of US motor sport’s greatest racing drivers, it was fitting this should coincide with Álex Palou sealing his third IndyCar championship in four years. Sure, the 27-year-old is Spanish – but in the wake of his phenomenal run of success with Chip Ganassi Racing, Palou looks set to follow in the wheel-tracks of France’s Sébastien Bourdais as an adopted modern-day hero of US motor sport.
Palou wrapped up the 2024 title in low-key fashion at the Nashville Superspeedway finale in September. He started only 24th after a lowly qualifying run and a penalty for an engine change, then picked his way to an 11th-place finish in the race. But the hard yards of his latest title success had already been run. Palou held a 33-point lead over Penske rival Will Power ahead of the final round. And when Power suffered a bizarre delay early in the race – his seatbelt popped open – Palou’s third crown was assured.
In a season when seven drivers shared the wins across 17 points-scoring rounds, Palou only crossed the finishing stripe first on two occasions – although he did also win the non-championship race run at The Thermal Club, California in March. Penske’s Scott McLaughlin and Andretti’s Colton Herta both won three times, but Palou’s consistent high scoring made the difference. He ended up 31 points clear of Nashville race winner Herta in the final standings.
The question is, what’s next for Palou? The answer is probably more of the same… Any potential switch to Formula 1 has been ruled unlikely by his own career decisions. McLaren looked to be his best opportunity when in 2022 he attempted to leave Ganassi for the team’s Arrow-branded IndyCar squad, only to stay put following an embarrassing legal contract squabble. The McLaren move was lined up again a year later. But Palou changed his mind and chose to stick with Ganassi for 2024, to the fury of McLaren racing chief Zak Brown. From a legal perspective, the dispute is still unresolved.
The third title surely justifies Palou’s career choice, even if his handling of where to place his future has been poor. Now having slammed the door on McLaren and already considered on the old side in terms of a modern F1 rookie, he appears to have accepted a racing life outside of the F1 bubble. Much like his Ganassi team-mate Scott Dixon did.
The Kiwi has six IndyCar titles and is pressing on at 44. Palou is half-way towards that tally long before he’s hit 30. The achievements so far have already elevated him into the IndyCar pantheon. How high he climbs is in his own hands.
INDYCAR MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS
7 AJ Foyt (1960, ’61, ’63, ’64, ’67, ’75, ’79)
6 Scott Dixon (2003, ’08, ’13, ’15, ’18, ’20)
4 Mario Andretti (1965, ’66, ’69, ’84)
4 Sébastien Bourdais (2004, ’05, ’06, ’07)
4 Dario Franchitti (2007, ’09, ’10, ’11)
3 Louis Meyer (1928, ’29, ’33)
3 Ted Horn (1946, ’47, ’48)
3 Jimmy Bryan (1954, ’56, ’57)
3 Rick Mears (1979, ’81, ’82)
3 Al Unser (1970, ’83, ’85)
3 Bobby Rahal (1986, ’87, ’92)
3 Sam Hornish Jr (2001, ’02, ’06)
3 Álex Palou (2021, ’23, ’24)
Young Brits look west
The US has always represented a land of opportunity for Europeans, and these Brits are now eyeing a future in Indycars
Callum Ilott
Age: 25
Showed promise with Juncos Hollinger in 2022-23, only to be dropped. Reinvented himself in 2024 in WEC, scoring a win at Spa with Jota’s customer Porsche 963. Will now return to IndyCar full-time, spearheading Prema’s first campaign in the series.
Toby Sowery
Age: 28
Under the radar for years, Toby Sowery put himself firmly on the IndyCar map this season with a trio of impressive mid-season appearances for Dale Coyne’s team. Deserves a full-time ride for 2025. If not, he’s thrived this year in a sideline career in GTs and LMP2s.
Louis Foster
Age: 21
Runaway champion in Indy NXT. Foster won eight races and scored six pole positions in his second season with Andretti Global, having switched to the US scene in 2022 when he won the Indy Pro 2000 Championship.
Jamie Chadwick
Age: 26
The three-time W Series champion has adapted well to life in Indy NXT, scoring her first win at this level in 2024 at Road America. She finished seventh in the points in her second season with Andretti and is due to test an Indycar for the first time with the team.