Not 24 hours had handed since Alex Palou crossed Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s yard of bricks with the checkered flag waving to win the 109th working of the Indy 500, when Motorsport.com was lastly in a position to sit down with him for an unique interview. Asking the newly-crowned Indy 500 champion to explain his win in a single phrase, he paused to assume for a second, which speaks volumes for a person who has been transferring nonstop to have fun ever since.
“Spectacular,” Palou informed Motorsport.com.
“I slept for 4 hours earlier than returning to IMS to take extra images. I have never stopped all day. I had about three minutes to eat,” Palou says.
The No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing driver is aware of quite a bit about profitable. His three championships within the final 4 years within the IndyCar collection and his march towards one other possible title this season show it. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that the Indy 500 win surpasses all of that.
“I feel there’s been far more media protection. Individuals who do not comply with motorsports that a lot. Individuals who comply with IndyCar intently do worth the championships. However I do not assume it is perceived in the identical manner overseas as the five hundred. I’ve observed that it is a lot larger.”
The affect of an Indianapolis 500 victory is clear, additional fueled by the truth that the King and Queen of Spain despatched Palou a letter. “Which is one thing tough to get, I think about”, he mentioned with a smile.
Race winner Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Picture by: Penske Leisure
Palou claims that he nonetheless hasn’t had time to course of what he has achieved. Nevertheless, he reveals that he wakened in the midst of the evening, realizing that he had been topped the Indianapolis 500 champion, and had bother getting again to sleep.
“My spouse and I checked out one another earlier than going to sleep and mentioned, ‘We will not consider we’re Indianapolis 500 champions,'” he mentioned. “We had simply received. Then I went to sleep. Round 3am, I wakened and considered our victory. It took me a very long time to return to sleep as a result of I used to be so pleased and enthusiastic about what we had executed.”
The “decisive” transfer
Palou’s first-ever Indy 500 win got here after he made an sudden move on Marcus Ericsson in Flip one with 14 laps to go. He then managed to remain within the lead, benefitting from the wake of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster, who have been attempting to not lose a lap.
“I felt it might be the decisive transfer, however above all, I felt it was a recreation changer,” Palou mentioned of that pivotal second within the race. “I did not wish to wait till the top. I feel I caught them without warning. That is what I needed: to move them after they weren’t anticipating it and attempt to keep in first place.”
Palou doesn’t assume he and Ericsson — who was despatched to the again of the sector on Monday after his automobile failed post-race inspections — have been the quickest within the latter a part of the Indy 500. He believes issues may have grow to be difficult if the 2 had began preventing for the lead.
“You by no means know till you are there. I feel we had a really quick automobile, [but] I do not assume Marcus and I have been the quickest up entrance. I feel we each would have struggled a bit. There have been another automobiles that have been very quick after they have been up entrance. I am glad every little thing went properly for us.”
“There have been instances after I knew it would not be straightforward, however I all the time believed that if we did every little thing proper — if we bought the technique proper and made the pit stops — that we had a automobile able to profitable.”
By profitable the Indianapolis 500, Palou achieved his first-ever victory on an oval, which had been a very long time coming for the three-time IndyCar champion. He has come shut earlier than, as evidenced by his second-place end within the 2021 500, when he misplaced to Hélio Castroneves.
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Picture by: Brandon Badraoui / Motorsport Pictures through Getty Pictures
When requested if he was feeling any stress to win on an oval, Palou defined: “Partly, sure, however little or no. On the whole, no. I knew it was solely a matter of time earlier than we had the chance to win on an oval. Clearly, it feels significantly better now that I’ve received. I’ve now received on an oval, a avenue course, and a street course. I’ve received the five hundred, and I have been a champion. This does not cease right here; it would not finish right here. We’ve got to maintain working to get extra wins, however I am clearly feeling superb proper now.”
Rightfully so, the IndyCar season doesn’t cease. Palou will likely be racing once more this coming weekend on the Detroit Grand Prix, trying so as to add one other win to his already historic efficiency run in 2025.
“Hopefully, we are able to add extra victories. The reality is, I do know these are going to be some very difficult days now. We’ve got a celebratory dinner in a few hours. As soon as that is over, we will New York for a two-day media tour. Then, we’ll return to Indianapolis and head to Detroit. It is going to be a busy few days.”
Positive, these are definitely busy days for Palou. Nevertheless, he in all probability wouldn’t thoughts doing it over again subsequent 12 months.
Learn Additionally:
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Federico Faturos
IndyCar
Alex Palou
Chip Ganassi Racing
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