IndyCar News: Alex Palou praised by Mario Andretti
In the gleaming halls of motorsport history, where trophies gather dust and legends fade into stories, Mario Andretti (pictured) sat down with reporters from MARCA in December 2025. At 85, the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion and four-time IndyCar king still carried the fire of the track in his eyes.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
The occasion was special: a young Spaniard named Álex Palou had just clinched his fourth IndyCar championship—and his first Indianapolis 500 victory—at the tender age of 28, tying Andretti’s own record of titles in American open-wheel racing.
Andretti leaned back, a smile creeping across his face as he spoke of Palou. “Alex Palou is truly an exceptional talent, one that only appears every 10 or 15 years,” he said. “I follow MotoGP, the Márquez brothers, Marc and Alex… but Palou is really a talent who will break many records in IndyCar if he stays here his whole career. I have great respect for him. I don’t know what to ask him… just tell him to slow down, so the rest of us can catch him.”
He chuckled, then added a message for the champion: “Go slower—that way, you won’t make the rest of us look so bad.”
But beneath the jest lay a deeper truth. Palou wasn’t just winning; he was running roughshod over the entire series. In 2025, the Catalan driver dominated like few before him, reeling off eight victories in a single season, mastering ovals, road courses, and street circuits with ruthless precision. Rivals whispered in frustration as he pulled away, week after week, turning what should have been fierce battles into processions. Even his teammate, the legendary Scott Dixon, could only watch in awe. Palou’s quiet diligence, his ability to extract every ounce from the car while others scrambled, made him untouchable.
Andretti, who had conquered both IndyCar and F1 in his era, understood the pull of the pinnacle. When asked if Palou might still dream of Formula 1, he replied without hesitation: “It would surprise me if he didn’t. I was lucky to have a great career in IndyCar and also try F1. I myself wouldn’t have been happy with my career if I hadn’t made the effort for Formula 1.”
In that moment, the racing world pondered: Was IndyCar big enough for a talent this rare? Palou had outgrown the series, dismantling the field with a dominance that echoed the greats. Perhaps, like Andretti before him, the Spaniard belonged under the brighter lights of F1—where the challenge was global, the stakes eternal.
Yet for now, Palou reigned supreme in America, a modern master leaving legends like Andretti to marvel from the sidelines. “Slow down,” the old champion pleaded with a grin. But deep down, everyone knew: talents like this don’t slow down. They accelerate into history.