After winning three IndyCar championships in four seasons, you would expect that Alex Palou feels pretty complete in his quest for glory.
But the truth is, one thing is still bugging him after years in the series, and it’s a weakness that he is very aware he has to work on.
Chip Ganassi Racing delivered him an excellent car in 2024, and when he wasn’t affected by external circumstances, he finished inside the top five in 14 out of 14 races.
That’s an impeccable record and title-winning form, but there’s always room for improvement – especially on one specific IndyCar layout.
Alex Palou still ‘getting up to speed’ on ovals
The most daunting statistic for Palou among all the positive ones, is that he is yet to take a victory on an oval circuit.
He’s come close a few times, including a second-place finish at Iowa this year, but he needs to unlock a little more pace to finally cross the line first.
Speaking on The Race’s IndyCar podcast, he revealed how it isn’t costing him too much in the championship overall.
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“Without winning on an oval, we’ve been able to still make up championships,” he said. “We are not losing time, while I’m still getting up to speed on ovals.
“We’re still performing as much as we can on all the other tracks, on ovals as well. It’s not a stat that I’m happy, but we’ve got three championships without an oval win.
“I think I’m probably the first IndyCar driver to do that.”
Where is Palou’s next chance for oval glory?
IndyCar’s next oval foray won’t arrive until next May when it returns for the world-renowned Indianapolis 500.
In fact, Palou revealed after winning his third championship, that the Indy 500 is next on his list of big things to achieve in North America.
It’s a steep task, and is notoriously difficult to conquer, with even legends of the sport having fewer Indy 500 wins than titles.
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Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon is a great example of this, having claimed six IndyCar championships and just one 500 win back in 2008.
The Spaniard couldn’t ask for a better teammate to learn from, as he bids to tick off another goal from his career aspirations.