Spanish · Born 1997 · #93 Acura ARX-06 · Acura Meyer Shank Racing
Alex Palou won his first IndyCar championship in 2021 at just 24 years old. He added further titles in 2023 and 2024, establishing himself as the dominant force in American open-wheel racing. His move to IMSA endurance events is a natural extension of a career that already spans multiple disciplines with elite results in each.
Alex Palou was born in Palau-solità i Plegamans, near Barcelona, in 1997. He grew up racing in Spain through karting and junior formula categories before making bold moves to compete internationally. His path to IndyCar took him through Super Formula in Japan — one of the world's most competitive single-seater series — where he impressed enough to attract the attention of American teams.
He joined IndyCar with Dale Coyne Racing for 2020, performing strongly in limited equipment. That earned him a seat at Chip Ganassi Racing for 2021 — one of IndyCar's top operations. In his first full season with Ganassi, he won the championship. The speed of that achievement — from mid-field team to champion with a top team, in one year — shocked even experienced observers.
His 2023 and 2024 title defenses showed the 2021 victory was no fluke. Palou is technically brilliant, supremely consistent, and mentally resilient — the combination of qualities that produces sustained championship success rather than one lucky season.
Palou's decision to compete at Sebring in the #93 Acura ARX-06 reflects the appeal of endurance racing's different challenge. IndyCar races are relatively short by endurance standards — typically 1.5 to 3 hours — while Sebring's 12-hour format demands not just speed but strategic intelligence, team coordination, and physical endurance across an entirely different time scale.
His teammates for Sebring are Renger van der Zande (Dutch, extensive IMSA GTP experience) and Nick Yelloly (British, Acura factory program). The combination of Palou's pure speed with van der Zande's endurance experience creates a strong lineup for the full 12 hours.
For fans of IndyCar, Palou's Sebring appearance is an opportunity to see whether his sensational single-seater pace translates to sports prototype machinery — and early indications from his 2025 endurance appearances suggest it does, emphatically.
Spain has an exceptional recent motorsport history. Fernando Alonso won two Formula 1 World Championships (2005, 2006) and later became a multiple Le Mans winner — inspiring an entire generation of Spanish drivers. Carlos Sainz Jr. and others have followed. Palou's IndyCar dominance places him at the pinnacle of Spanish motorsport achievement in a different arena — and his IMSA appearances bring him closer to the endurance racing tradition that Alonso helped popularize.
Chip Ganassi Racing is one of IndyCar's most storied teams, winning multiple championships over the decades. The Ganassi-Palou partnership has been remarkably productive since 2021 — though not without drama. Contract disputes and team loyalty questions arose in 2022, but Palou ultimately remained with Ganassi and has since dominated the series. The partnership now looks secure and productive for the foreseeable future.
Super Formula (formerly Formula Nippon) is Japan's premier single-seater series — faster than Formula 2, often compared to Formula 1 in technical demand due to its powerful naturally-aspirated Honda engines, sophisticated aerodynamics, and technical tire challenge. Palou's time in Super Formula before IndyCar gave him an elite technical education that many American drivers lack. Several future F1 drivers have come through Super Formula, reflecting its quality.