Alex Palou "sad" that biggest IndyCar rumor about 2026 met a dead-end

Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou expressed his disappointment that the biggest rumor about the 2026 season didn't materialize after a yearlong of positive updates. Throughout 2025, there was chatter about IndyCar being in negotiations with the Mexico City race promoters for the series' return to Mexico in 2026.

The series' only Mexican driver, Pato O'Ward, also the most popular, was involved in the talks and intermittently dropped hints that he would most probably get a home race next year. While the race promoters at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which also hosts F1, NASCAR, and Formula E, showed interest in adding IndyCar to its client list, the dates for the race weekend weren't attractive, as per O'Ward.

In mid-September, IndyCar confirmed that it wouldn't race in Mexico in 2026 because the 2026 FIFA World Cup didn't leave the premier American open-wheel racing series with good date choices. Alex Palou recently shared his opinion about the rumor hitting a dead end for 2026.

"It was a rumor that it was going to happen, and it's because we were really, really close," Palou said on the Pit Pass Indy podcast. "Like that was gonna happen, but for some reasons, it didn't happen. So it's unfortunate, but at the same time, I'm very happy that we're trying. I don't know if it's going to be next year, I mean like '27 or '28, but it's gonna happen. So that's where we are heading."

Pato O'Ward had spoken highly about the grand reception that IndyCar would get in Mexico. Palou seconded that stance, adding:

"I know that if we go there or when we go there, it's gonna be a huge hit. It's gonna be a hit for IndyCar and for Mexico. It's gonna be great. So yeah, I was, I wouldn't say disappointed, but that was sad, obviously. But as long as we keep on trying to go to these new markets and expand the series, it's all good."

Alex Palou's stance on potentially attempting IndyCar-NASCAR double at Phoenix in 2026

Alex Palou at the NTT INDYCAR Series Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 - Source: Getty

While the absence of a Mexico race on the 2026 IndyCar calendar saddened Alex Palou, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver is excited about the addition of a race in Phoenix. The premier American open-wheel racing series will hold Round 2 of the 2026 season at the Phoenix Raceway.

It will be on the same weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series, giving local racing fans double the delight. In a conversation with Conor Daly on the Speed Street podcast in September, Palou addressed the possibility of attempting the IndyCar-NASCAR double that weekend in March.

"We're doing this together. And I would love to see the cars. I want to touch the cars. I want to see the cars like I'm interested. And if they allow me to drive one of them as well, like, let's do it," the Spaniard said.

Alex Palou won his third consecutive and fourth overall IndyCar championship with a podium finish at the Portland GP in August. He also earned his maiden Indy 500 in May, which was the greatest of his eight wins this year.