By Marlee Ressa | @marleeressa
Sports Capital Journalism Program
INDIANAPOLIS – The winner of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is Alex Palou. The first Spanish driver to win the race mans the No. 10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, and this outstanding performance has handed him his fifth win of the 2025 IndyCar season and the first oval win of his career.
With only six races completed so far this season, and five of them won by the three-time IndyCar champion, it is no wonder that the Fox Sports commentator booth nicknamed him “Perfect Palou.”
Through a series of early cautions, Palou was able to optimize a fuel-saving strategy that put him in the perfect position to be the one to cross the historic Yard of Bricks first under caution. He finished ahead of Marcus Ericsson after rookie Nolan Siegel crashed on the final lap.
“When I was behind [Ericsson], I was just saving fuel,” said Palou, “so we could go hard at the end trying to stay in the lead.”
According to IndyCar, Ericsson was later dropped to 31st place after a post-race inspection revealed his car had unapproved spacers and parts that “provided the capability of enhanced aerodynamic efficiency.”
Palou, at the age of 28, joined Alexander Rossi as the only drivers under 30 to win the race in the last 10 years. If Palou’s dramatic pass on Ericsson with 14 laps to go looked familiar, it may be because it was nearly identical to the maneuver that four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves pulled on this year’s winner back in 2021. In both cases, the lapped traffic ahead provided the perfect tow to keep the winning car out of reach from the car running in second.
“[Castroneves] was an amazing teacher, but it was an expensive class!” joked Palou, “You need to have the traffic at the right time, and you need to be able to read it.”
Ericsson said he wished he had used the lapped traffic to his advantage before Palou had the chance to overtake him for the lead. “I’m going to play it in my head and sort of figure out what I could have done differently,” the Andretti Global driver said, “because if I got one of the [lapped] cars between us, that would have been a huge buffer to Alex.”
While Indy 500 tradition saw Palou drinking milk on the podium, it is likely a lot more champagne could be coming his way during the remainder of this season. Palou currently reigns first in the championship standings. With nearly the same points gap between himself and Pato O’Ward in second place as the distance between O’Ward and Conor Daly in 20th place, it would be a tough feat for any driver to catch him.
Team owner Chip Ganassi spoke highly of Palou’s undeniable success this season and throughout his career. “He is one of the greats… It’s that simple,” Ganassi stated. “He is right there, shoulder to shoulder, with the rest of them… [Dario] Franchitti, [Juan Pablo] Montoya, [Scott] Dixon, and all the champions we have had.”
For Palou, the victory validated his remarkable earlier success. “It’s amazing to win this race,” he said. “This race means so much to me, to my family, for the IndyCar community, for our fans, and I would say motorsport in general. To be an Indy 500 champion… it’s amazing.”
With his first win on an oval now complete, Palou is looking forward to the rest of the season and his chance at a fourth IndyCar title. A newfound confidence on ovals had the winner of the 109th running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing delivering a promise to come back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year to win it again.
“We checked that box,” Palou said, “and we need another one now.”
