Alex Palou is now cemented in IndyCar Series history after the three-time champion became the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500 and has closed the door on F1.
The Indy 500 had been the 28-year-old’s unattainable dream since Palou debuted in IndyCar in 2020. Despite becoming the class of the field, he had not won on any oval, let alone at the famous Brickyard, before finally conquering the crown jewel event with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Even Fernando Alonso has tried and failed to win the Indy 500, so it remains the sole part of motorsport’s Triple Crown that the two-time Formula 1 champion has never won. Palou won the Indy 500 at his sixth attempt from sixth on the grid, marking his 16th career IndyCar win.
Yet Palou has no desire to now switch across to F1, having walked away from the road to the pinnacle of motorsport in 2019. Palou has been tipped as a credible target for Cadillac’s new Formula 1 team, with the General Motors brand to debut on the grid in the 2026 F1 season.
Indy 500 winner Alex Palou can only laugh at Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur thinking F1’s forgotten him
Palou would likely turn down any offer from Cadillac to switch to F1, as the Barcelona native has no interest in leaving fighting for wins and titles in IndyCar to be nowhere in F1. The GM brand will have a Ferrari engine in 2026, but Cadillac are expected to start at the back of F1.
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The ex-McLaren F1 reserve driver can also only laugh at Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur claiming the Formula 1 paddock has forgotten Palou. He also scoffs at Williams boss James Vowles thinking Palou would need to test in F1 cars for a year to be competitive on the grid.
“Absolutely!” Palou told Auto Motor und Sport about only laughing at Vasseur and Vowles’ claims about the IndyCar legend after he won the Indy 500. “Let’s not misunderstand each other, I love Formula 1 and it was obviously my dream. The timing just isn’t right, right now.
“Why should I waste three or four years with a team that can’t win? That’s not my idea of racing. I want to fight for victories, especially at the Indy 500, and for championships. That’s the only way I’ll be happy.”
Audi considered signing Alex Palou for Sauber before snapping Gabriel Bortoleto up for F1
Palou, who is now leading the 2025 IndyCar standings by 90 points after seven rounds, did not set the world alight while trying to forge a path towards Formula 1. He finished third in the 2014 Euroformula Open Championship and also in the 2017 Japanese Formula 3 standings.
He even only came seventh in the 2018 Formula 3 European Championship, before moving to Japan to compete in Super GT and Super Formula. His move to Super Formula especially restored Palou’s stock with third in the standings and he earned a move to IndyCar in 2020.
His success in America even put a move to F1 on the horizon last year, as Audi considered a deal to sign Palou for Sauber before snapping Gabriel Bortoleto up. Now, even if a team like Cadillac were to come forward, Palou is happy in IndyCar and with his talents shut off to F1.
