Álex Palou has once again written his name in the history books of motorsport, this time in capital letters, by being crowned IndyCar champion for the third consecutive time, the fourth title of his career. This victory has reopened the debate about why a driver of his caliber has not been in F1, as there are plenty of reasons to entrust him with a car in the top competition in Spanish motorsports.
Palou reigns in Indy
Álex Palou was crowned IndyCar champion once again at the Portland International Raceway. The race did not start in the best positions to contend for the title, and he opted for a strategy contrary to that of his rivals, with hard tires that allowed him to move up positions and fight for the podium. But everything went in favor of the Catalan when Pato O’Ward, his direct rival for the title, suffered reliability problems after his pit stop, which handed the Spanish driver his fourth title on a silver platter.
Despite the incident, Álex Palou wanted to finish the race like the great champions, chasing an almost impossible victory that never came. He finished third, behind Christian Lundgaard and Will Power. He didn’t need any more, and with this victory he equals Dario Franchitti, Sébastien Bourdais and Mario Andretti, legends of this specialty, and now has his sights set on Scott Dixon and A.J. Foyt.
Álex Palou is only 28 years old, a very young age that allows him to dream of achievements never before imagined. But many wonder if he has what it takes to be in Formula 1. For now, however, he is where he needs to be to win, and that is in IndyCar.
Palou and F1
And it’s normal that with this victory, the question arises again, especially for the Spanish public, as to why Palou, having proven that he is among the best drivers in the world, does not have a place in the Grand Circus. There are many factors to explain this:
Like all current drivers, Álex had a great career in karting, where he competed against Verstappen, Leclerc, and Norris, before making the leap to GP3 and F3, where he also achieved great results, but failed to attract as much media attention as his rivals. So in 2019, he headed to Japan to compete in Super Formula, where he impressed the Honda team, which recruited him for IndyCar a year later.
However, everything could have changed in 2023, as he was a development and reserve driver for McLaren in F1, and Helmut Marko himself was interested in signing him to Red Bull. But Palou was already settled in the United States, and more importantly, he knew he could compete for titles and that he would have continuity, something that was by no means guaranteed in a world like F1.
Palou wants to win
Álex Palou has always stated that his goal in motorsport is to win. “I like to win. In IndyCar, I can win and I’m not complaining about my conditions.
I would never give up my real job to be a reserve.” The driver is well established in the United States with his family, and although he has been linked with teams such as Cadillac, which is entering F1 this season, for 2026, he does not seem likely to change his mind, especially now that he is so close to becoming the best driver in IndyCar history.
That will be his next goal, and it looks like F1 will be losing one of the greatest talents of recent years.