Alex Palou makes feelings known after sealing eighth career pole at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Alex Palou secured his eighth career pole in the high-intensity shootout to start first on the grid for the Sonsio Grand Prix. He made his feelings known after the same.

Alex Palou has emerged as the dominant leader of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series Championship. He displayed skilful tire management and combined it with his fast machine to bring home the best starting position on the grid.

He saved a set of his new Firestone Firehawk alternate tires for the last-minute run as he set the fastest time of 01:09.3417. Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Graham Rahal ended up second, being only 0.4099 behind the CGR star with a time of 01:09.7516.

After securing his second straight pole of the season and gaining an ideal position for an attempt to secure his fourth victory of the season, Alex Palou opened up about the same. He explained what the differentiator was and how it worked in their favor.

“We had a bit of an advantage there with a set of new soft tires,” he said. “I think some people used them in Q1 (first round of qualifying), and we didn’t. Maybe that’s where the time comes."

Palou also stated that his machine, which has been performing well all season, went above and beyond for the qualifying at the IMS road course.

“But that No. 10 DHL car was amazing. Super-fast. It’s been super-fast all season, honestly, but today it’s been on fire.”

The fifth race of the 2025 season will start at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 10th, 2025.

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Alex Palou gets honest about IndyCar's behavior with hybrid's extra weight

AUTO: AUG 27 INDYCAR Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou has shared his insights on the challenges the new hybrid-era IndyCar machines pose, describing their increased vulnerability. Nearly ten years after Formula 1 transitioned to hybrid power units, IndyCar adopted similar technology, launching its hybrid era in July 2024 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Palou, who set the fastest time during the final session of Indy 500 open testing, which took place on April 23rd and 24th, noted that the added weight from the hybrid system has made the cars more challenging to control. He explained that this increases the likelihood of driver errors, particularly since it was the first time the hybrid package was used at a high-speed circuit like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Even if you have a really good car, it's very easy to make a mistake, which then creates a gap for the guy behind to get a chance," he said (via allaboutindyracing.com).

Alex Palou is currently leading the championship with a total of 196 points. Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard, in second, is 60 points short of the leader.