Álex Palou wins his fourth IndyCar Series title

(AFP) Spanish driver Álex Palou won his fourth IndyCar Series title on Sunday, his third in a row, cementing his status as one of the best drivers in the history of this American competition.

The Chip Ganassi Racing star took advantage of the Grand Prix of Portland, the first of three opportunities he had to become champion.

Palou finished third in the race, won by Australian Will Power, and took an unreachable lead in the overall standings with 626 points.

Mexican Pato O'Ward, the only rival threatening him until Sunday, had a nightmare race in Portland because of a technical problem with his car and now sits 151 points behind Palou.

At 28 years old, the Spaniard owns four crowns in the main category of American motorsport (2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025), only surpassed by the 10 achieved by the American A.J. Foyt and the six of the New Zealander Scott Dixon.

His four titles equal the record of the legendary Mario Andretti, Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais and Briton Dario Franchitti, the last to string together three consecutive victories, between 2009 and 2011.

Palou, who has never competed in Formula 1, also achieved this year his long-awaited first triumph in the Indianapolis 500, an automotive summit that neither Fernando Alonso in his three attempts nor any other Spanish driver previously achieved.

"It's incredible, crazy. I couldn't be happier at this moment" expressed Palou after climbing into his single-seater to celebrate the triumph with his team members.

"This has been an incredible season, it's been an amazing five years. I can't say enough about how grateful I am to everyone at CGR (Chip Ganassi Racing) and I can't wait for more," he said.

With no opportunities to test himself in Formula 1, at least until now, Palou made the jump to IndyCar in 2020 and since then he has been establishing an iron reign, taking eight of the 15 races contested this year, which allowed him to clinch the title well ahead of the season's end.