With three wins in the last four races, Alex Palou is quickly pulling away from his rivals in the 2023 IndyCar championship standings.
A 74 point lead over his team-mate Marcus Ericsson highlights just how strong the Spaniard has been this season, and why he has been labeled the favorite for the title this year.
Palou has looked more comfortable than ever this season, even more than when he won his first championship in 2021. His demeanor throughout the whole race weekend shows just how at ease he is.
Despite IndyCar consistently referred to as one of the most competitive series in the world, the star driver is having a stellar year that is bringing him as much confidence as he’s ever had.
“I would say yes,” said Palou when asked if he’s had this much confidence before in his career. “But not with the importance that being in IndyCar has.
“I remember Pro League 2012 in go-karts, it was a great year for me. We were battling every single weekend with Callum Ilott, George Russell, some others. It was every weekend. It was awesome.
“I would say in Super Formula, the first three or four races, I got used to the car and more comfortable. I think it was a similar scenario.
“As I said, it wasn’t as important or as tough, I would say, as IndyCar is. So yeah, I would say it’s the best moment of my racing career so far, for sure.”
Last year, Palou spent a good amount of time in the middle of a messy contract dispute between himself and Chip Ganassi Racing. The eventual resolution saw him stay with CGR for the 2023 season, despite him thinking he would be able to leave for a seat at Arrow McLaren.
That saga was noticeably on his mind during the latter half of 2022, but there is no hint that it still bothers him this year.
The Spaniard has been all smiles and seemingly as cool as ever while racking up the accomplishments.
Palou is beginning to leave his rivals behind. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
Palou’s average finishing position is now a spectacular 3.5 through eight rounds, which matches his qualifying average. Unless something drastic changes soon, he looks set to cruise to his second IndyCar title in three years.
“I just think that everything is working really good for us now. I feel like we were as strong as we are now at the beginning of the season, but we had some ups and downs during the races.
“I feel like we have momentum. Momentum in motorsports matters a lot for driver confidence, team confidence, mechanic confidence.
“Everybody wants to get the win, just like you are asking for more and more. It just gets better and better.”
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