Alex Palou “more confident than ever” about Indy 500 win chances

Chip Ganassi star Alex Palou says he is “more confident than ever” about his chances of scoring a maiden victory in the Indianapolis 500 this weekend.

Three-time IndyCar champion Palou will make his sixth start in the Indy 500 on Sunday, sharing the second row of the grid with teammate Scott Dixon and Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist.

The 28-year-old has made an exceptional start to the 2025 season, winning four out of the first five races - including the Sonsio GP at the Indianapolis Road Course - to pull out a comfortable lead in the championship.

Palou has now set his sights on adding an Indy 500 win to his CV, a race in which he has never finished higher than second in five attempts.

"I feel more confident than ever before," Palou told Fox Sports. "I got to experience different parts of the 500, like running up front, running in the back, having to overtake, having a fast car, having not such a fast car.

“I feel more ready than ever, and I think it’s enough to win, so that’s why. And I’m hungry to win it.

"We are ready. You start getting excited thinking about traffic and how to get a fast race car for the Indianapolis 500. I’m excited for the race to come."

With three titles, 15 race wins and 36 podiums, Palou is easily the best IndyCar driver without an Indy 500 win.

In fact, the Spaniard has never won a race on an oval track, with his championship successes having been built on his superiority on road courses and street circuits.

But Palou is now keen to shed that tag and finally clinch that elusive first victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of a sold-out crowd.

"It’s good and bad," Palou said. "It’s not what we want. We want to be introduced as the Indianapolis 500 champion, but it takes time. It’s hard to win. That’s why it is so important and separates some drivers who are really elite and amazing drivers.

"We’re pushing and that is all I think about. Hopefully, we can get rid of that introduction this year."

Palou came the closest to winning the Indy 500 in 2021, his second year in IndyCar and the first with his current team Chip Ganassi.

On that occasion, Palou hunted down Meyer Shank’s Helio Castroneves on the final lap of the race, but ultimately had to concede defeat to the Brazilian by just 0.49s.

Palou conceded that he lacked the experience to outfox Castroneves that year, but is now in a better position to tackle the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

"My race against Helio in 2021 was amazing," Palou said. "He won it in a car that was a little bit slower than mine. He won it because he was better than me. That’s it. Period.

"I had the faster car than Helio, but he just had more experience. He was much better than me reading the traffic and knowing when to overtake, when to defend.

"I think I have a lot more experience now. I don’t have as much experience as Helio, but I believe I could have done something different."

Palou has already built a 97-point lead over Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in the standings, but feels the championship race will take a sidestep in the Indy 500.

"In that race, you don’t think about the championship at all," he explained. "A third place is not good enough. A second place is not good enough. It’s only first that counts.

"You don’t act crazy, but I think everybody goes there to win the Indianapolis 500.

"Hopefully, all the moves we make will work."