Winning with IndyCar Series Champion Alex Palou

This series is alive and the competition is fantastic. Out of the hip in for the final time. Colton will have the last say of 2021. wins the for the first time at Long Beach. And Alex will be the champion. There has never been in the history of Indicar competition a Spanish champion. Alex is his name and he is the first. The hours and hours that you and your dad put in at the go-kart tracks. You ever dreamed this moment and that Cup would be yours. Welcome back to Young Hollywood Alex. Now, you have a new title that we are officially able to call you the 2021 Indycar Series champion. It's got a good ring to it. How does it feel? How does it feel when you say it, when you think it?

It's amazing. It's still unbelievable. Um, something I dreamt it and I think about it so much and it's finally true. So, couldn't be happier. Um, I think yesterday I was not really conscious of what was happening and today I'm starting to realize what we just did.

And you are the first driver from Spain to actually win this series, win that trophy, the cup. Talk about that feeling. I mean, what an honor.

Yeah, that's that's amazing. So, first of all, being an Indycar champion, it's it's the goal and it's it's amazing. Yeah, you're part of history, but if on top of that, you can be the first Spanish driver to to win an Indycar championship, you're going to be forever the first one, right? Like that's forever and that's for sure. Nobody's going to take that away from us. So, um, that's amazing. I hope that also encourage some young drivers in the future to to from Spain to to know that yeah, it's possible to to come here to the US, racing car and and be be a winner.

I feel like I've been on this journey with you since you got to Long Beach. We got a tour of where all the magic happens.

Yeah, so we have six trailers, all connected inside as you can see, like you can just walk from one to each other and we have the driver lounge, um the mechanics prepare here like right here, they can prepare the gearboxes.

And then we were with you in the winner circle. Everything. It's amazing.

It's uh it's my dream. So I just want to celebrate and eat some fried chicken today.

Well now here we are, but talk about your journey starting in Spain where the kind of spark came from to be a driver because it's not in your family.

No, so I'm I'm the first person that got into motorsport and, um, we didn't know anything about motorsport before. Like, um, I guess just like a normal family, um, they liked motorsport to see it uh from now and then. But uh, yeah, there was a small go-kart track, um, in between my house and my school, so I would pass there two times a day. Um, and I guess I I just wanted to do what other people was doing, just laps and and doing uh yeah, laps with the go-kart, right? So, uh, we went there. I was four. Uh, I couldn't reach the pedals, so my family uh decided to buy a a really small go-kart truck go-kart car. Um, and we started from there when I was five. So, um, it's been a nice journey, a long journey, but it's been amazing.

Now, the Astro cup, I know sadly drivers don't drink out of it like the Stanley Cup. But if you could put a beverage in that cup to drink it, what is it going to be? You could say coffee, but I feel like that's the easy way out.

Yeah, we were thinking about it yesterday, um, with the crew to put some champagne. Um, but uh yeah, we ran out of time. I don't know. It was an idea and then suddenly we had to do some other photos and we couldn't do it. But uh we'll do it when we're back at the shop, for sure. Um, but uh, yeah, I would put champagne. Why not?

With your champagne goes fried chicken. I heard a rumor about you that you enjoy, it's not even a rumor. You enjoy fried chicken after your big wins.

Of course, that's that's the truth.

Look what I got. You know the good stuff. You know the good stuff. Listen, I went to Rosco's chicken and waffles this morning to pick this up to eat with you. I haven't had this in so long. But I'm going to take a bite. Did you

I'm jealous. I ate yesterday fried chicken, not from Rosco's. Because I had an event, uh, in another restaurant. But I had fried chicken to celebrate. But uh yeah, I'm jealous that you're going to have the good fried chicken.

Well, you have to try this. How long are you in Southern California for? When do you head out?

I think I'll be here, um, one or two more days, so I'll I'll I'll go there for sure.

That's awesome. So now, of course, being the first driver from Spain, the word first comes up for me. And I want to play a little game with you of all of your first. That you've had. Okay, you ready?

I think I am.

Okay. Who was the first person that you texted after your win yesterday?

My mom. My mom, because she she my dad was here, my girlfriend was here. But my mom wasn't able to be here because she she was working and taking care of my sister. Um, so yeah, I texted my mom. Obviously, she was um, she was cheering from home and she was super happy. So I texted my mom first.

I actually met your dad yesterday. You guys are twins and he was beaming. Literally like ear to ear, of course. And he was so proud of you. Do you feel that?

I feel like we are proud, um, together. Like, um, for what we achieved. Um, probably he's proud of me, but I think he's more proud of what we achieved together from out of nowhere. Um, and and it's it's special. I had lots of experiences with him. Like we started together. He was my mechanic for uh, a small time in go-karts without being a mechanic. So, um, we we had some uh, good memories and yeah, it's super special to be here.

Okay, the first app that you check when you wake up in the morning.

WhatsApp. We use a lot WhatsApp, um, in Europe and that's how I talk with my mom and and my dad. So WhatsApp every morning.

Your first concert.

I've never been to a concert.

What?

But I mean, I spent two years where probably was the best time to go to a concert. In Japan, I was not going to go to Japan on a concert, um, mainly because I didn't know what was going on around the city. And then I came to the US, which is like the best place to go to a big concert, but COVID hit and there was no concerts for a long time. But now, yeah, now yeah, it's okay, I'll go. I'll go.

Your first car.

My first car was a Volkswagen Golf, uh, when I was uh, 18 and a half or so.

Is it still in the family?

No, and it was from a sponsor. So, um, I didn't buy my first car until this year.

What did you buy?

I bought uh after the 500, I bought a Porsche.

Your first celebrity crush.

Wow. Um, that must be somebody from Spain that I have no idea about the name, but he was in a series, um, in Spain that I would look, um, and she and she she was she was amazing. So, um, yeah, I don't I don't really remember the name. But it was uh, serious. I was looking when I was like 10 or so. And she obviously was yeah, she was beautiful, so.

Very nice. Well, then from crush, I have to ask your first kiss.

Ooh, first kiss. I don't remember. Um, well, I remember, but I don't know. I guess I was like 14, 15, something like that.

Do you remember the name?

Yes.

Oh, we'll keep it in the vault. But

Exactly.

Good for her. Okay. You got it. There you go. Your first job that you made money.

Racing go-karts.

That's fantastic. And your first thought today when you woke up this morning.

My head was hurting from a little bit of a hangover from yesterday night. But um, after that first 10 seconds of feeling bad, I was uh, my girlfriend told me, hey, you remember we were we won the championship yesterday. I was like, yeah, that's amazing. So, um, so yeah, I guess hangover and championship winning feeling.

What does a champion eat for breakfast?

So I had the first interview at 7:30. So I had only like 10 minutes to have breakfast. So I had black coffee and a pancake.

And the first thing you're going to do when the festivities have calmed down and the press tour is done. First thing you're going to do.

Enjoy. I'll sit in my sofa. I'll relax and I'll just wait a moment and and think about what we achieved. So, um, I think that's going to be a really big moment when I just can relax and say, oh yeah, we did it. Now. We did it. Yeah.

Thank you. Now, when you did it, when you won, you put this hat on. And one of your crew members,

You look good on that one.

Thank you. When we were in the winner circle with you and I was like, oh yeah, we're going to talk to Alex tomorrow and he was oh, here's here's the hat he put on when he won. So I'm wearing it and I feel like a winner. But when you got out of the car, you kind of knew you were there was a certain point during the race you like it was there already for you.

Yeah, so I knew it was kind of ours, but it's still not ours until it's yours. So, um, I was just concentrated on getting one more lap, one more lap, one more lap, just like that until the checkered flag dropped. For the first time. Alex. He's an champion. But then I said like, yes, like we did it.

And then you are like relaxed, you celebrate on that last lap. Um, but then when you get out of the car, I think it's the biggest moment where you really can just like celebrate and and and just celebrate with your people and and just be super happy.

Yeah, so you put the hat on and everyone's around you. Jimmy in the winner circle gives you a today. Big hug. That kind of I say mentorship, but you know, from the rookie, but having him on stage with you, uh, what a moment. The elder statesman and the young guy and you're the winner.

Yeah, he's he's just an amazing teammate, an amazing person, and he's a champion. He's just a champion. The way he's wired and the way he thinks and works, it's it's just amazing and so inspiring for me. Um, obviously I got I was super lucky to get to work with him and learn from him. So, I would ask him a lot of questions, um, how to how to prepare myself for for this championship and and after good moments, how to keep them going and after bad moments, how to just change our luck and and rebound again. So, um, he's been a great, great mentor and so special that he was yesterday with us celebrating.

Well, tell me, it doesn't have to be specifically what he told you personally, but how does one like yourself, who is a champion and you succeed on such a high level, how do you bounce back after failure, after maybe a disappointing run of sorts?

In our case, we worked. We worked really, really hard. We had uh, two really bad weekends and and we had three weeks in between um, those two weekends and the end of the season. So, we said, okay, let's take those three weeks and prepare ourselves to to try and beat uh the other guys and try and get this championship. So, we were really, really hungry to get this championship. Um, and we worked every single day to try and be the best we could. So, in three weeks, uh, we prepared for uh, three races. We won one. We finished second in another one and we finished fourth on the last one. So, um, yeah, which is worth.

There is the ring. We saw that ring in the winner circle and it had confetti and champagne all over it, which made it even sweeter. But wow, look at that ring. Is it heavy?

It's really heavy. Yeah, it's heavy. My my hand hurts, but that's fine. I like it. Let's just work out the arms a little bit. Yeah, that's fine. I'll I'll get over it.

Now, how how long do you wear the ring for or do you put it away?

Today, I think today. Yeah, I think today today's media day. Need to show it and but then I'll keep it, uh, really safe and with lots of love.

Okay. Well, yes. I'm so excited, uh, from start to finish. I I'm really excited for you. Thank you. Congratulations again and um, your Rosco's is well deserved.

Thank you so much. Yeah, I didn't get my second trophy, which is um, some fried chicken. So, uh, cannot celebrate, um, a championship without some fried chicken. So, fried chicken for us.

Mmm. Amazing.