Chip Ganassi’s Alex Palou among IndyCar drivers involved in road course testing

Three-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou recently took part in a road course test earlier this week. Palou, alongside seven other drivers, tested the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Scott Dixon emerged as the best driver.

Palou, who is in sparkling form at the moment, joined seven other drivers for a crucial road course test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) ahead of the upcoming Sonsio Grand Prix. As teams shift focus toward the month of May, this test provided a valuable opportunity to fine-tune their setups for one of the most challenging stretches of the season.

Multiple teams participated in testing at different locations, including Nashville Superspeedway. Notably, the spotlight was on IMS, where drivers from AJ Foyt Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, and Juncos Hollinger Racing turned laps on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dixon emerged as the fastest driver of the session, setting his quickest lap in the final five minutes of the day. Palou, meanwhile, was close behind in second, clocking a lap of 1m10.129s in his No. 10 Honda. Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Conor Daly followed in third with a time of 1m10.180s, while Daly’s teammate Kyffin Simpson secured fourth place with a 1m10.222s lap.

AJ Foyt Racing's David Malukas and Santino Ferrucci rounded out the top six with times of 1m10.272s and 1m10.388s, respectively. Dale Coyne Racing’s Jacob Abel finished seventh (1m10.543s), while Juncos Hollinger’s Sting Ray Robb completed the group in eighth place (1m10.595s).

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Alex Palou expresses optimism after Indianapolis testing

Alex Palou remained highly optimistic about the test's value in preparation for the upcoming races. Speaking to IndyCar, the Spaniard emphasized the importance of these rare test days, even for experienced teams and drivers. He said:

"We don't have many days of testing in IndyCar nowadays. And although we have a lot of experience here, at this track, all the teams do, we always need to find a little bit more." (0:44 onwards)

Palou also acknowledged the challenging weather conditions on the test day, noting the contrast between cooler temperatures now and the significantly hotter conditions expected in May. He added:

"It was going to be a little bit tough today. It's very cold. The conditions are great, the car feels amazing. We have a ton of downforce and we know that when we come back in May, with the heat, it's going to be feeling a little bit tougher. But, yeah, everything that we can extract today, we know that we can take it to May, and we can take it also to the likes of Barbers, Road Americas, Mid Ohios, and try and get a little bit more performance."

Speaking of his incredible form entering the 2025 campaign, including back-to-back wins in the first two races of the season, Palou added:

"Absolutely, you just get into the car and you're happy to be there. It's always like that, even if we're going through some tough couple of races, it always feels amazing to be in the car. But obviously, coming off a couple of wins, the confidence is high and the will to just go out and do it again and try and have the best test we can, it's still there."

Alex Palou leads the IndyCar standings after two races. He has 102 points, 39 more than the second-placed Pato O'Ward.