Alex Palou has revealed how he sensationally won the Sonsio GP after losing the lead at the start of the race.
Losing the lead off the line to Graham Rahal, Alex Palou was forced to sit behind the RLL. He faced further pressure from a resurgent Devlin DeFrancesco and Will Power in the second half of the race.
Passing Rahal’s RLL in the closing stages of the Sonsio GP, Palou instantly began lapping six-tenths of a second faster. He won the the race by almost six seconds.
Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference, including Fastest Formula News, Palou walked through his start and efforts to pass Rahal.
“We could begin with the start. I didn’t even get to lead one corner. He [Rahal] got a great start, and then he was really side-by-side to me. The only way I had to keep position was to force him like off-off. I thought he was already up front.
Palou said that patience was the only way to pass the RLL, highlighting why his Chip Ganassi car failed to intitially pass Rahal.
“So, from there I was, like, okay, let’s be patient and hopefully we can have good pace to follow him and maybe overtake him on pit strategy, but he had the great pace the first couple of runs. We were battling on our second stint, but I couldn’t really overtake him.
“It was great at the end when I got to pass him. I think he was struggling a little bit with the used soft tyres. We were on good primaries, so yeah, it was great.“
When asked about his chosen moment to attack Rahal, Alex Palou revealed a giveaway on the RLL’s tyres.
“It’s easy for us to spot, especially here. You can see in 14 whenever you leave a mark, and that means the car is sliding.
“Also, out of four, and he was doing it for two or three laps. Yeah, I knew we were in a good spot. But then, I mean, we had the second yellow of the year, which that was exciting.
A dominant start to Indycar in 2025
When asked to reflect on his dominant start to 2025, Alex Palou revealed mixed emotions.
“It’s crazy. I’m sad that it’s going to end at some point, and it’s going to be tough in my career to feel as good as I feel now.
” I know that, and that makes me sad, but happy at the same time. It’s amazing. It’s amazing. I know I’m with the best team out here, and they give me the best tools they have, the best people to fight for races every single weekend, and it feels sweet.”
Can Alex Palou win the Indy 500?
After taking four wins in the first five races, Palou confirmed that the coveted Indy 500 is next on his list to win. The Spanish driver has yet to win on an oval.
“Yes, it’s perfect timing to do that on the same week as the Indy 500. Yes, I would love that. If that happens, I’ll get crazy. Like, very crazy. If that doesn’t happen, we will see, but if that happens, I don’t know.
“Things are going to fly, flames here, flames there. It’s going to be amazing. I’m not a crazy person, but very, very crazy.
“Everybody in Indiana will know that I’m an Indy 500 champion if that happens. Hopefully one day.”
