When Alex Palou’s girlfriend revealed his gesture to her note about moving to the US

Alex Palou has won races, clinched championships, and earned global recognition, but his meteoric rise in IndyCar isn't without a personal story. The Spanish driver, who, like every other racer, harbored the aspiration of racing from a young age, once had an incident when his partner, Esther Valle, subtly predicted their move to the United States—and how he reacted to it.

The 28-year-old, who recently clinched the Indy 500 title, had tried to venture into open-wheel racing in Europe. While he experienced relative success racing in Euroformula Open, the FIA Formula 2, and several other racing series, a break into Formula 1 would prove herculean to achieve. However, amid Alex Palou’s push to break into F1, his partner made a heartfelt gesture that would subsequently prove prophetic.

Speaking in an interview with the Associated Press in 2021, the partner of the Chip Ganassi Racing star detailed how she wrote about a switch to the U.S. about five years earlier, and Palou's gesture to the same.

“I wrote this note on a dollar bill that said, ‘One day we will move to the U.S.,’ and that was like five years ago. I wrote it, and he kept it in his wallet forever.”

The couple would eventually move to Indiana in 2020—a step that marked the beginning of Alex Palou’s illustrious career in IndyCar racing. The Catalan native completed a tryout with the Dale Coyne Racing team before joining Chip Ganassi in 2021. The switch to Chip Ganassi has since translated into immense success, including three series championships and, most recently, the victory at the 109th edition of the Indy 500.

Alex Palou shared a family photo in the lead-up to his Indy 500 win

Alex Palou shared a photo of his family in the lead-up to his Indy 500 triumph. The 28-year-old clinched his maiden win at the Brickyard event in what was his sixth participation in the race.

The Barcelona native, who had long sought a victory at an oval course during his years in the open-wheel racing series, shared a post of himself, his partner Esther Valle, and their daughter Lucia on Instagram. Accompanying the family photo was a caption that read the following.

“RACE DAY! 🦍 Starting P6 for the biggest race of the year with a really fast car and 500 miles to make it happen. LET’S GO!”

The pre-race post ahead of the Indianapolis showpiece would prove to be a good omen, as he went on to win the Indy 500 after overtaking Andretti Autosport’s Marcus Ericsson with 14 laps remaining. The win, which was his first on an oval course, marked his fifth victory of the 2025 season.

According to reports courtesy of The Sun, Alex Palou has been dating his partner Esther since he was 17, and the pair have been together ever since. The couple welcomed their first child, Lucia, in December 2023.