“You can follow the steps”: When Alex Palou made the case for racecar drivers starting young in their careers

Alex Palou, a three-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, once shared his thoughts on why young drivers should start their racing journey as early as possible. In a YouTube short uploaded by The Manual on September 28, 2024, Palou explained that it is common for children as young as five or six to begin karting.

The Spanish driver emphasized that while it is possible to start later, doing so makes the path to professional racing more difficult. Palou himself began racing go-karts at the age of five, which gave him the opportunity to develop essential skills early on. He explained that the most common age range for kids to get into karting is between four and ten.

While there have been cases of drivers starting later, he believes that beginning at a young age allows for a smoother learning process.

“I would say the normal is from five, I've seen as young as four, even three, and it could go up to, like, 10. I would say that's the normal range. Going above that is possible as well, and we've seen some people, but I think it's tougher. I don't really know why that is. I would say it's just because you can follow the steps when you start super young, starting in a really small go-kart and learning the simple stuff there, and then going up," Alex Palou shared (0:15 - end).

Palou’s passion for racing started because of a go-kart track near his home. In a 2021 Sports Illustrated Kids interview, he recalled how he would pass by the track every day on his way to school. Eventually, he convinced his parents to let him try it.

Once he got behind the wheel, his love for racing grew quickly. The only thing that ever kept him off the track was bad weather. He admitted that he disliked practicing in wet conditions because it made driving more challenging.

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Why did Alex Palou turn back on McLaren in 2023?

Alex Palou made a major career decision in 2023 when he decided against joining Arrow McLaren for the 2024 season. Instead, he chose to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing, despite being linked to a potential Formula 1 opportunity with McLaren.

His connection with McLaren went beyond IndyCar. He had been part of the team’s F1 testing program and even participated in a practice session at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in 2022. However, when McLaren couldn’t offer him a guaranteed F1 race seat, Palou reconsidered his options.

"It was amazing. I got to test the [F1] cars and also Practice One at COTA last year, which was amazing. The opportunity was great, but there was nothing else there saying, 'Oh, you will have a car,'" Palou told Motorsport.com.

Palou explained that if he had been younger, he might have waited for an F1 opportunity. But at 26, he knew that breaking into the sport at an older age was rare. This realization led him to commit his future to IndyCar, where he had already found success with Chip Ganassi Racing.