5 things about three - time Indy car champion Alex Palou that you should know

Alex Palou Montalbo is a 27 year old Spanish racing driver. He kicked off his open wheel racing debut in 2014 in the Euroformula Open Championship with Campos Racing. Palou races with the number 10 for Chip Ganassi Racing team. He enters the upcoming season as a three time IndyCar series Champion. Alex entered IndyCar as a rookie in the year 2020 making this season his fourth. He made history by being the first Spaniard to clench the INDYCAR title. Palou has 31 podiums with 81 starts and 11 wins to his name with Chip Ganassi Racing. Besides his achievements, Palou has several aspects worth mentioning. Here are the top 5 facts that stand out:

1.Starting out young.

Palou, like most racing drivers was introduced to motorsport via karting. He got into racing and started training when he was as young as 5 years old. His interest peaked when he saw a go-kart on his way to school. In an interview with Sports Illustrated Kids, Palou looks back on how it started out. He asked his parents to go to the go-kart track just for fun which eventually turned into regular visits after school and on weekends, which later became more serious.

2.The challenging ovals.

Despite winning three championships, one of the most intriguing facts about Alex Palou is that he has never won on an oval. Speaking to Fox Sports, he mentions how crazy it is that they've had close calls but never won at an oval. When faced with the question if there should be more ovals, he welcomed the idea of adding more ovals to the calendar except for the double header ovals. He further elaborated how difficult it is for everybody during such days.

I'm not a big fan of doubleheaders on ovals. I think it's a lot of work for everybody — for drivers, mechanics, the crew especially, they work so hard. And also for the fans, it's like they see the same thing all over.

3. Alex Palou - the first Spaniard to win INDYCAR series.

During the 2021 season at the Acura Grand Prix of Long beach Palou made history as he crossed the finish line. He was the first from Spain to win the championship. When mentioned about how he had just made history, Alex mentioned how amazing it feels as it is not easy to set records.

It means a lot to be the first Spanish one. That’s super cool, right, to be the first one to do something. But I’m also just proud to be a part of the championship-winning drivers here in INDYCAR

AUTO: MAY 22 INDYCAR Series The 107th Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

4. Multilingual Palou

Alex Palou speaks multiple languages which are English, Spanish and Italian. It is something he has worked on so as to help him communicate better with other drivers and well as the engineers. He learned English and taught himself Italian which aided him when he raced in Italy.

5. Three championships in 4 seasons

Alex Palou is one of the first drivers to win back to back INDYCAR championships. This has not been done since Dario Franchitti who has won three consecutive titles from the year 2009 to 2011.

Some believe Alex Palou to be a generational talent while other believe it's just beginner's luck. Either way, all the focus is on Palou as the 2025 season inches closer.