Alex Palou: "If you don't have a good car in F1... It depends on the team that calls and what they offer."

Álex Palou is on his way to becoming one of the best Spanish athletes of recent decades. Winner of three American IndyCar titles , on his way to a fourth and third in a row, a month ago he won the Indianapolis 500, the fastest race in the world. The jewel of the Triple Crown that Fernando Alonso just couldn't finish off.

Palou spoke to El Confidencial in a lengthy interview reflecting on the impact of his triumph, his current situation in the United States, and also hinting at his experience with McLaren , which ended in a still-unresolved lawsuit. Despite some siren calls from the media and fans, the Spanish driver explains why Formula 1 has lost interest for him . Unless a very special offer comes along.

QUESTION: Winning the Indianapolis 500 is not a unique achievement, but a very difficult one to achieve, especially for a Spanish driver. A month later, how has Álex Palou dealt with such success?

ANSWER: Now you realize a little more what it means . Before winning them, you get an idea. You can see other drivers and think it's special, but it really is, and even more so here in the United States. Surprisingly, I think in Spain, even for people who aren't crazy about motorsports like us, they know about the 500 and know what it's like and it sounds familiar to them, even if they have no idea about a normal IndyCar race.

Being part of this group of drivers who've won is incredible, and like you say, you don't know if it's going to happen or not, even if you're there. We've been fighting every year, but it's so difficult and so complicated that when it happens, it's incredible. Now, almost a month later, seeing what it's meant to ordinary people here in Indianapolis is incredible.

Q: In your second time competing in the 500 Miles, you lost the race when you were leading with two laps to go due to some lapped drivers. Did that story cross your mind in the final stages of this last edition, with the fear that it would get away from you again?

A: Yes, yes, 100%. In fact, when I left the pit last time, I saw the traffic and said to myself, "This is exactly the same as in 2021." And all I kept saying to myself was, "I hope they don't know it like I do, that they're not taking it into account like I am, and they're just waiting until the end." There were still 25 laps to go, but for me it was already the end; I had to attack in those laps. And on top of that, we couldn't go flat out to save fuel. When I overtook Malukas , I knew I'd put him out. But then I couldn't make it with Eriksson; I ran out of fuel.

So, for five or six laps, I tried to save a lot of fuel to attack, and also to keep him calm and think I wasn't going to attack him. And it worked. Everything was perfect, just as I had planned. Thanks to that 2021 season, I was able to read the traffic well and take advantage. And when I saw that I was able to pass Marcus and stay there, and that he couldn't do anything, it was an incredible feeling. More than anything, because you've been through this once before. Knowing that you've learned and achieved it is an incredible feeling.

Q: Tom Cruise says pressure is a privilege. Do you agree?

A: I agree 100 percent. For an athlete, the pressure is a privilege, and certainly for an actor too, because it means it's a big role. And the same goes for an athlete; it means you have an incredible opportunity, even if you're a rookie . In this case, it depends on whether you'll get the contract or not, because there are only 25 drivers who have that contract, and you're under pressure to lose it.

And the pressure to win is the best. It comes from knowing that it depends only on you, that they're giving you the tools you need, and now it's your turn. I do believe that pressure is a privilege. There are other, more personal pressures that aren't, but in sports, in business, or as an actor, I believe it is.

Q: In the United States, you're thrown into a huge media frenzy after winning the 500. Even the American stock market opens, for example. What has it been like to feel like you've entered another dimension as an athlete? That social aspect that victory entails.

A: It's huge. And all the things already planned for when the season ends, which is something I haven't thought about. I thought it was just the galas, the weeks afterward, and that's it. But they're going to make me work after the season. On the one hand, it's very good, although on the other, not so much because I'm so busy. But it's very big, very big.

Right after the 500, we went to New York for three days to study different TV channels... The stock market was incredible, and having my face in Times Square for a few minutes, well, that's great, isn't it? [laughs] Then I did some really cool things, like when we went up the Empire State Building. You do things that are special and I never thought I could have done. In the end, it's just a race , but it's really cool how special they make you feel, especially here in the United States, where you know Americans love it that way.

Q: What is it like to be famous in the United States?

A: Being famous is when you can't go out for a coffee. The media impact we IndyCar drivers or the 500 have is perfect. Here in Indianapolis, where we move, you get recognized every day and congratulated, but you can relax. It's a perfect balance. When I go for a walk with my daughter in the neighborhood, they still congratulate me for the 500 every day. It's funny that you get so much recognition for the 500; you realize what it means. And especially here in Indiana, because it's a tradition for families to go with their children when they're three or four, and those children continue until they're 60, and they tell you about it like that.

Q: There's something unique about a driver who wins the 500—that trophy that bears the face of the winners from every edition. What's it like to be forever part of one of motorsports's monuments? Doesn't it make you lose your mind?

A: We haven't made the miniature yet, the face. It'll be at the end of the season, a week after the last race. I'll go to the workshop of the sculptor. I'll realize it when I see it. It's an incredible trophy . And the most important thing is that they engrave your name, your speed, and your face, and it will be there forever. There's the image of the first winner and the last. And they'll never take that away, it will never leave that trophy; our face will be there forever. I think when I see it for the first time, I'll say, "Wow, this is really cool."

Q: It's not just the 500 win, you're also on track to break historic records against American IndyCar legends. Your level of superiority hasn't been seen in decades. How do you explain such dominance?

A: I think I'm in an incredible moment, which has caught me just in the throes of confidence, driving at my best, reading the race, knowing what I have to do, helping the team, the strategy... Having that extra edge of being able to read it, knowing exactly what we need to win, even if we're not on the perfect strategy. This is only possible because we have a good car. Honestly, this year we have a very good car. There's me and the team, we're taking a risk, and it's a good strategy. I'd say it's a combination of everything. I've never felt like this on the track. The confidence I have in myself and the team is maximum, and that helps me stay calm and patient.

Q: Your boss, Chip Ganassi, says that he's seen and done it all in the United States and is on his way to becoming one of the best in the history of American circuits... Are you flattered?

A: Yes, of course. You know where we come from, right? What can I explain? For me, being here is already a dream. And everything we've done so far is more than a dream. But this year has been magical. When you do it little by little, you don't realize it, and I don't think about it much either. I only think about the next race, but you look back and see that we've won six of the first nine races, including the 500s , and it's incredible, something spectacular. Even if we don't win any more, it's going to end up being a brutal year, because I've never won more than five races in a single year.

Q: With such a track record, why not Formula 1? Many people ask. If an offer comes in, would you go to Formula 1?

A. I tried everything to get into Formula 1 ( with McLaren ). We had the opportunity to get into the car, to be part of a team, to do some testing (the US GP) and gain experience. When I won my first title, I tried, but it didn't work out. In fact, it went terribly. Then there were the consequences [a still-present legal dispute with McLaren].

Q: Why didn't it work with McLaren?

A: Because there were already pilots, and there was no need for one at that time.

Q: An IndyCar car is very different from the McLaren you tested. After seeing that car, do you think you would have succeeded in Formula 1?

A: Yes, of course. I think it's very different to go fast in a car and then compete well. They're different things. It's very easy to go fast; all good or experienced drivers will go fast. But the pressure in the race is another matter; knowing how to manage it properly. I think there's a big difference there, in knowing whether you're capable of being as fast as you need to be in the race. It's like IndyCar. There are plenty of people capable of going faster on one lap, or taking a little more risk, but then there are 60 laps and four stops that you have to make, and that's where the difference lies.

Q: Did you feel used by Zak Brown?

A: No, not really. I think I gained a lot from the opportunity, as did the team. It's very special for a driver to try a Formula 1 car, and that's what I got. The team fielded a rookie who had won the IndyCar. I mean, I didn't have to prove I was fast. So I don't think I was used for anything. I don't feel that way. What I wasn't going to do was give it all up for a chance to be a reserve and see if I could get a chance. Absolutely not!

I'm in a different place now. If a team comes to me, it will depend on which one, and the conditions. I'm telling you, I'd have to think about it a lot. It wouldn't be with just any team or in just any condition, because I'm doing very well. It's very difficult to have the opportunity I have to win races and championships, which in the end is what all drivers want. And if not, just ask Fernando (Alonso). And you know that in Formula 1, if you don't have a good car, you have a great time, but as a driver, it's not as cool. In the position I'm in, it doesn't appeal to me. And if I have four races that don't work out, I'm home, no. Right now, I'm so happy here... I just don't need it.

Q: Last year you made your debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and were the best driver on your team. Do you also want to win this legendary race?

A: I'd always had it in mind, always, but after racing it, even more so. I was devastated on the day of the 24 Hours. It was also mentally terrible because it seemed like we could have a chance at victory. And then, suddenly, we lost a ton of time and the dream was gone. But I want to go, I want to come back. It's a very special race. But you also have to go in a car you can win with. I couldn't go this year because it clashed with one of our races, but I want to come back.