3x IndyCar champion Alex Palou opens up on why he feels 'the job is incomplete' in the racing series despite multiple title triumphs

Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou has admitted that despite achieving considerable success in the series, he still feels the job is incomplete because he's not won the Indy500. The Spaniard has been a revelation in the series, and much of that has to do with his ability to nail everything every year and keep winning.

At just 27 years of age, Palou has already climbed the top of the mountain thrice. He first became an IndyCar champion in 2021, beating Josef Newgarden to the title. After losing out to Will Power in 2022, he went on to win the next two titles in 2023 and 2024 in dominant fashion.

The Alex Palou-Chip Ganassi combination has dominated the sport in the last few years, with the Spaniard emerging as the driver who has perfected his driving against the challenges imposed by these cars.

That said, Palou feels that there's an element of incompleteness when it comes to what he has achieved in the sport. According to the Spaniard, winning the Indy500 is a prerequisite for him, and something that one has to do in terms of earning top honors in the sport. He told Motorsport:

“You cannot be an amazing IndyCar driver without winning the Indy 500, for sure. I would say winning it multiple times, it’s really tough just because it doesn’t depend only on you. But winning it one time with the team I have run has to be done. I don’t need to do it next year or the following one; I have a lot of years to do it.”

Alex Palou also referred to his teammate Scott Dixon. He has been one of the most successful IndyCar drivers ever, and even he hasn't won the Indy500 more than once. Palou said:

“Dixon, it’s wild that he only has one, but that’s how it goes,” Palou said. “And he’s the best IndyCar driver we’ve had in, I would say, almost ever. Yeah, hopefully, I can win it someday. But, yes, I don’t think the job is complete until we win an Indy 500, which would mean that I won on an oval, as well.”

Alex Palou wants to focus on the 2025 championship over everything

Alex Palou is now a three-time IndyCar champion, putting him in a special company of drivers. The most that any active driver has won is six titles, clinched by Scott Dixon. At the same time, while Palou admitted that he wants to accomplish eight titles (making him the most successful), he wants to focus on his immediate challenge in 2025 first. He said:

“I think it’s really tough to win one championship. It’s tougher to win two. And it’s tougher, tougher to win three. I think it just becomes more difficult every time, even if it seems that we’re halfway to six, we are a long, long way.”

He added,

“Yeah, but it’s 100% of what I’ve done. It’s a lot, so I don’t know where is the limit. I’m really pretty sure that with this team and with the work that they put in and what I want to put in, we can keep on winning and fighting for championships. Yes, I want to win eight, but I’m focused on next year. I don’t try and win eight and that’s my goal."

With Chip Ganassi's current form, it's hard to look beyond Alex Palou as the frontrunner for the 2025 season as well.