Alex Palou reveals the exact moment he knew Graham Rahal's Sonsio GP loss was inevitable

IndyCar star Alex Palou recently explained how 'used soft tires' cost Graham Rahal the 2025 Sonsio GP. Chip Ganassi Racing driver was overtaken by Rahal heading into turn one on lap 1 in Indiana. However, the Spaniard's brilliance helped him overtake the Ohio-born driver later on in the race.

When asked at what time the reigning champion knew that he would get past Rahal, Palou gave a glance at the timeline of the fight between the two drivers.

The Chip Ganassi Racing star had won three of the four races heading into the Sonsio IndyCar Grand Prix. This made him the favorite to take the race win home, and Palou later bagged the pole, seemingly stamping his name on completing a three-peat at the IMS road course.

On the other hand, Graham Rahal started on the front row and overtook the Spaniard heading into turn one. Moreover, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver looked in control of the race as he led 49 of the 85 scheduled laps at the track.

However, after his second stop, the tides turned in favor of Alex Palou. Rahal had burned up a major chunk of his P2P allowance to stay ahead of the reigning champion, but Palou was still able to home in on the back of the No. 15 car and eventually overtake him.

Opening up on how the third stint proved essential in getting past the 36-year-old, Palou said in the post-race conference:

"It was great at the end when I got to pass him. I think he was struggling a little bit with the used soft tires. We were on good primaries, so yeah, it was great."

"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."

After winning four of the first five races in 2025, Alex Palou would be hoping to continue his winning streak to clinch his fourth IndyCar title.

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Winning the Indy 500 would be "super special" for Alex Palou

Alex Palou at the INDYCAR Sonsio Grand Prix - Source: Getty

To continue this winning streak, Alex Palou would have to do something that he has never done before in his career, to win a race at an oval layout. Moreover, the next race is not any ordinary oval race, it is the Indy 500.

When asked about what winning the elusive event would mean, the 28-year-old said in the post-race conference:

"What if it doesn't end, and suddenly we win the Indy 500? That would be pretty sweet. The normal thing would be not to win it. So if we can make it happen, it would be super special."

Alex Palou has amassed 248 points, which has helped him stretch out a massive 97-point lead over second-placed Kyle Kirkwood in the 2025 championship standings.