Age, Biography, and Career Highlights
As of 2025, Álex Palou is 28 years old. His racing career began in karting in 2003, where he achieved notable success including winning the KF3 category of the WSK Euro Series in 2012 and the Spanish Karting Championship in the KF2 category in 2013. Palou transitioned to open-wheel racing in 2014, competing in the Euroformula Open Championship where he won three races and finished third overall. He moved through various junior formula categories including GP3, Formula 2, Japanese Formula 3, Super Formula (where he was Rookie of the Year in 2019), and Super GT before making his IndyCar debut in 2020 with Dale Coyne Racing. Since joining Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021, Palou has won multiple championships and become a leading figure in the series.
| Occupation | Sports |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1 April 1997 |
| Age | 28 Years |
| Birth Place | Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Barcelona, Spain |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | Spain |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Specific details about Palou’s height and weight are not widely published in the available sources.
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Dating and Relationship Status
There is no publicly available confirmed information about Álex Palou’s current dating or relationship status.
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Net Worth
Álex Palou is active on social media platforms where he shares updates about his racing career and personal interests, though specific handles are not listed here. He speaks several languages including Spanish, English, and Italian, and enjoys sports, outdoor activities, music, and pickleball off the track.
Moments after these tweets, McLaren announced that they had signed Palou to a contract for 2023, though it was not specifically mentioned if Palou would drive for Arrow McLaren SP, McLaren's IndyCar operation. Chip Ganassi Racing responded to this by releasing a statement reiterating their claim to Palou's services. On 27 July 2022, Chip Ganassi Racing confirmed they had filed a civil lawsuit against Palou in Marion County, Indiana. On 14 September 2022, it was announced that an agreement had been reached by all parties that would see Palou continue with Chip Ganassi for the 2023 season, with McLaren signing him to test the McLaren MCL35M. Palou was then set to switch to McLaren for the 2024 season. In August 2023, this arrangement fell apart after Palou told McLaren CEO Zak Brown that he had "no intention of honoring his contract" with McLaren. Following this, McLaren Racing and Arrow McLaren sued Palou for nearly $23 million in the U.K. Commercial Court in an attempt to recoup investments made in Palou, including future sponsorship revenue tied to Palou joining McLaren, McLaren's cost when Palou was the test driver, the cost of finding a replacement for Palou, and Palou's $400,000 advanced 2024 salary. In his legal response, Palou admitted to breaching his contract with McLaren as he lost faith in McLaren's ability to land him a seat in Formula One, saying that he is too old to wait and see if someone gets hurt to get his chance.
Education
In summary, Álex Palou is a trailblazing Spanish IndyCar champion with a strong karting and junior formula background, renowned for his competitive success and historic achievements in American open-wheel racing.
Palou had another strong start to 2024, finishing in the top five in eight of the first ten points scoring races, picking up wins on the IMS Road Course and at Laguna Seca, and taking an early points lead in the championship. Although Palou only secured two points paying wins on the season, he also won the $1 Million Challenge, a non-championship event. He used consistency throughout the rest of the season to top Colton Herta, Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin for his third IndyCar Series championship, becoming the first Indy car driver to win back to back championships since Dario Franchitti did in 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons.
In September 2022, McLaren announced that they had signed Palou to their Testing of Previous Cars program that would see him test the MCL35M, first at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and later in October at the Red Bull Ring, both together with Pato O'Ward. Palou made his debut in free practice with McLaren at the 2022 United States Grand Prix. On his free practice debut, Palou called the F1 car "insane" and "capable of so much".
On 1 December 2022, McLaren announced Palou as a reserve driver for the 2023 Formula One World Championship. He drove the MCL35M during a test at the Hungaroring alongside Oscar Piastri.
