Updated:30/05/2021 22:13h
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Álex Palou has remained only four tenths away from becoming the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500, one of the three legends of world motorsport alongside the Monaco GP of Formula 1 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 24-year-old from Barcelona was second to the Brazilian Helio Castroneves, which added his fourth win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, equaling the all-time record of Americans AJ Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears.
Palou led the race for almost half of the 200 laps of the most famous oval in the world, but Castroneves used all his experience to make the final overtaking two laps from the end. The two leaders found themselves doubled over on the last lap, preventing Palou from making one last attempt.
Palou’s career was sensational. He was about 80 laps resisting the pressure to which both Castroneves and the Mexican Pato O’Ward subjected him. The Spaniard, who came out sixth, soon found a gap among the shortlist of candidates. Like the rest, he benefited from his teammate’s mistake, Scott Dixon, which was forced to make an unexpected stop in the garages when it ran out of fuel after just 30 laps had elapsed. In a very clean race with hardly any interruptions, Palou moved up to the positions of honor and more than achieved his goal of reaching the last laps with options.
During the last ten laps he and Castroneves passed and reviewed on several occasions, but the Brazilian took advantage of his greater experience to deliver the final blow when the Catalan no longer had the ability to react.
“This is the Indy500, I can’t be angry for finishing second,” Palou later explained in statements to Movistar +. “We had the car to win. I think I was a little faster than him.
Alex Palou: “This is the #Indy500, I can’t be mad at finishing second. We had the car to win. I think I was a little faster than him. ” #IndyMovistarpic.twitter.com/qLjfmX9ryE
– F1 in Movistar + (@ movistar_F1) May 30, 2021
Palou arrived in Indianapolis after winning in April at the Barber circuit, in the season opener and in his debut with the Chip Ganassi team.
Palou’s career is linked to the figure of Adrián Campos. The ex-driver, who died this year, was the one who discovered the Catalan’s talent and who gave him his first opportunity in single-seaters. Later his career deviated from the usual path towards Formula 1, but he found a home in Japan. His good work there was decisive in making Honda want to see him in action in the United States. In his first season in the Indycar, enlisted in the Dale Coyne Racing team, he already left samples of what he was capable of. With no time to get used to the ovals or the American way of life, he made a podium in his third race and brushed the pole in the 500 Miles. At the end of the season, his signing for Chip Ganassi Racing, the most successful team in the category, was announced.
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