Scott McLaughlin has nothing but respect for “Professor” Alex Palou as he seeks his first IndyCar title 

IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin came out before the start of the 2025 IndyCar season and reflected on the previous IndyCar season. The Team Penske driver has finished third in the IndyCar championship in the last two seasons but still hasn’t tasted the big success in the series.

Speaking about his 2024 season and what were the things that held him back and allowed Alex Palou to run away with the championship, he said (via Autosport):

“I think ultimately we were as fast, if not faster than him. It was just about putting together the year that he had. As we know, he's like a professor with half the stuff that he does. He's very good and very consistent and I have a huge amount of respect for the boy.”

“But we're not overthinking it. I think there's also plenty of other drivers that are super good. I think Colton Herta had an amazing year. It's just a matter of focusing on ourselves and what we can improve. That's all we can control and hopefully what we've done is enough.”

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Palou took the title with 544 points to his name and Scott McLaughlin fell short by just 39 points. Had the Team Penske driver not been disqualified from the podium at the season opener in Saint Petersburg for the illegal use of push to pass button, the championship story could've been a different one.

Scott McLaughlin won more races (three) than the championship winner Alex Palou (two race wins excluding the Thermal challenge), yet didn't win the championship. The New Zealander wasn't consistent enough with his results and the reliability issues at Long Beach, crashes at Detroit, and Laguna Seca didn't help the cause either.

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Scott McLaughlin on his 2025 24 Hours Rolex Daytona drive

Scott McLaughlin announced in December 2024 that he would be racing for Trackhouse Racing’s entry in the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona. The New Zealander will be driving the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the GTD Pro class and is excited about the same. Speaking about the opportunity to drive a Corvette, he said (via News-Journal):

“I think this time I'm probably the most excited just from the fact I get to race for some amazing drivers and in a Corvette. I've always wanted to race this race with Corvette, and I’m super pumped that Chevy was able to get that done for me and allowed me to do it.”

McLaughlin will be partnering with Shane van Gisbergen, Ben Keating, and Connor Zilisch under the Trackhouse x TF banner. The Kiwi driver ventured into the world of American endurance racing in 2023 when he participated as a part-time driver in the LMP2 category and participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2024 as well.