“Dream completed”: When Alex Palou made his feelings known after career-first IndyCar title under CGR’s belt

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou once spoke about how it felt on winning his first IndyCar Championship. He won his first title in 2021 at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

On September 26, 2021, Alex Palou finished fourth in the race but won the championship by 38 points over Team Penske's Josef Newgarden, who finished in second place. This also marked his first year with the Chip Ganassi Racing team.

While talking to the media, the Spaniard expressed how it felt to win his first championship in the series. He said, (via InyCar.com)

"What a race, what a year, what a season,” Palou said. “This team is amazing. I’m super proud to be a part of Chip Ganassi Racing, all our partners. I’m super proud to be a champion and for the opportunity these guys gave me. Dream completed. Let’s get another one now.”

With the championship title, the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing driver had become the first Spanish driver to win the IndyCar series title. He also became the seventh youngest to win a championship, at the age of 24.

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"I don't want to leave" - Alex Palou makes his plans clear about staying at IndyCar

The #10 Chip Ganassi Racing driver spoke about his desire to stay at IndyCar following the rumors about him joining Cadillac's F1 team surfaced. According to various media outlets, Alex Palou is in contention for one of the Cadillac seats in Formula One due to his spectacular performance at IndyCar. However, the three-time IndyCar champion was quick to lay these rumors to rest.

While in conversation with Fox Sports, Palou spoke about how he does not want to leave the series even if it is for two years and that he wants to focus on adding another Indy 500 win to his long list of accolades.

"I don’t want to leave now. Even if they say, ‘No, don’t worry, you can come back in one or two years, what if suddenly everyone is here and I’m never able to catch back up to them?" Palou added. "And it wasn’t in my mind last year, and it’s not in my mind this year. It’s getting less and less and less every day, and with this, it’s like, ‘No, I want to get another (Indy 500 victory).’" Palou said.

Alex Palou also went on to talk about the differences in the celebration of a victory in both sports and how they are completely opposite when it comes to spending time with family and the mechanics.

"I don’t see people celebrating with their wives and their kids as much as we do. I don’t see them hanging in the bus lot or having dinner with their mechanics. I only enjoy driving and having fun and being with my people, so I think (F1) is the total opposite." He added

Alex Palou previously served as McLaren F1 team's reserve driver and took part in various test sessions. In 2023, he made an attempt to join the team but decided to stick with Chip Ganassi Racing because he did not want to wait any longer as there was no guaranteed seat. He was faced with a lawsuit by the McLaren team that is still going on to this day.

Edited by Pratham K Sharma