Alex Palou was unsure if he'd be able to pass Marcus Ericsson for Indy 500 win

Alex Palou says he was not sure if he would be able to pass Marcus Ericsson for victory in the closing stages of the Indianapolis 500.

The blue riband round of the IndyCar season came down to a two-way fight between points leader Palou and Andretti rival Ericsson after several leading contenders dropped out of contention in the second half of the race.

Ericsson had made his final pitstop just 25 laps before to run and thus had enough fuel to make it to the end, while Chip Ganassi’s Palou needed to be careful on the throttle in order to reach the finish.

While it was expected that Palou would sit behind Ericsson to save as much fuel as possible, he took the Swede by surprise by passing him at Turn 1 with 14 laps to run.

The Spaniard saved enough fuel over the next 10 laps to fend off the late advances of Ericsson and secure his maiden Indy 500 win.

Speaking afterwards, a breathless Palou admitted that he had to fight hard to outduel Ericsson in a tense finish to the race.

“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race,” he said. “Sorry, I’m out of breath. Just celebrating. Just got really tired.

“What an amazing race by everybody, the #10 crew, CGR, HRC I cannot believe it. It's amazing to be here, it's amazing to win.

“There were some moments I felt really good in the race but at the end, I didn't know if I was going to pass Marcus or not.

"[But I] made it happen. First oval win. What better place [to do it]?

He explained: “It was tough. It was tough conditions out there, especially if you are third or fourth in the pack. Even leading the fuel consumption was super high.

“Didn't want me to lead. But I wanted to lead, obviously. Made it happen. I already lost my voice and I haven't even started celebrating.”

Palou has enjoyed an incredible run of success since moving to Chip Ganassi for his second season in IndyCar in 2021.

After clinching his third title last year, he has carried that form into 2025, winning five out of the first six races.

Palou’s previous successes were built around his superiority on street circuits and road courses, but now that he has scored a victory at an oval he has earned his place among the greatest IndyCar drivers of all time.

Team boss Chip Ganassi hailed Palou’s performance in the 109th Indy 500, saying: “[The] guy is just unbelievable. I don't know what to say.

“We saved fuel for all day, doing this and doing that. We were in the draft. And then at the end, we had those guys [backmarkers] in front helping us.

“He just beat everybody today. It's great.

“It's an incredible thing. It's gonna make Alex Palou's career and make his life. It certainly made mine.”