“It’s much bigger”: Alex Palou highlights Indy 500 prestige compared to winning championships

2025 Indy 500 winner, Alex Palou, has put his maiden Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval) victory over his IndyCar championships. He genuinely believes that winning the Indy 500 stacks above his three drivers' titles.

In last week's fiercely contested 200-lap event, Palou was able to take the lead from Marcus Ercisson (who was disqualified post-race) during the latter half and from that point on, he never looked back until crossing the checkered flag.

In line with his IMS heroics and three IndyCar championships, Palou asserted the following in an exclusive conversation with Motorsport:

"I think there's been much more media coverage. People who don't follow motorsports that much. People who follow IndyCar closely do value the championships. But I don't think it's perceived in the same way abroad as the 500. I have noticed that it's much bigger."

Alex Palou started the 2025 Indy 500 from sixth place on the grid (second row) to secure his maiden victory in the prestigious race. AJ Foyt's David Malukas came in second with Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward rounding off the podium places.

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Alex Palou finding it hard to 'sleep' post Indy 500 win

While Alex Palou has deemed his Indy 500 victory 'bigger' than his three IndyCar championships, via the same interview, he has also revealed that he is finding it hard to sleep post the IMS win.

The 28-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver said (via the aforementioned source):

"My wife and I looked at each other before going to sleep and said, 'We can't believe we're Indianapolis 500 champions. We had just won. Then I went to sleep. Around 3 am, I woke up and thought about our victory. It took me a long time to go back to sleep because I was so happy and excited about what we had done."

Following the 2025 Indy 500, Palou has now amassed five victories in the first six races of the IndyCar season. In the process of doing so, he has managed to put on board 306 points alongside two pole positions, six top-five and six top-ten finishes.

In second and third place in the Drivers' standings are Pato O'Ward and his Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard. However, their points tally is nowhere near that of Palou. O'Ward is on 194 points with Lundgaard on 181.

Next up on the 2025 IndyCar race calendar is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. The event will kick off this week, from Friday onwards, at the Streets of Detroit Racing circuit. Alex Palou will be the favorite to amass his sixth victory, coming off the back of a sensational Indy 500 win.