The 2025 IndyCar season of Alex Palou is already being considered one of the most superior runnings in the contemporary open-wheel racing. Having won seven races in only 12 races now the Spaniard is standing at the threshold of history trying to maintain the exalted number of 10 wins in a single season, an honour which was earlier held only by AJ Foyt (1964) and Al Unser (1970) in the lengthy and illustrious history of the championship. The question is not whether Palou can do that, but how he has been able to juggle the same consistency, assortment and poise to a grid which is arguably more versatile and competitive.

His victory at Iowa Speedway was his most recent, and his seventh race-winning performance of the season, and from the evidence of it, one of his finest all-round drives. Palou was in measured fourth place at the end of the first race of the two-race weekend but recovered to win the second by making smooth moves, stretching tyre life under heavy pressure and making a superb pit call, made because the lead bunch of cars was held up by a timely yellow flag. The fact that this win is also his 40th is not the most exciting bit about it, but the fact that he has succeeded so well in adjusting to the oval properties of racing which were previously not always his strength. It is that kind of versatility that Palou is coming out in 2025.

He has won street circuits, on road courses and now ovals proving himself the most complete driver on the grid. His dominance at the season opener at St. Petersburg proved a point. Since then he has been unstoppable and so far has notched victories at Mid-Ohio, Detroit and Road America and most importantly, the biggest jewel in the crown, the Indianapolis 500. The Indy victory was a historic one not only due to the fact that it brought Indy another major name in his account, but because it allowed Indy to be the first Spaniard ever to win that particular race known as the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. There, add the fact that he won at Laguna Seca and Iowa and Palou has won nearly every type of track the series has offered him.

And despite all his dominance, Palou is down to earth. When he is posed the question whether it is realistic to target 10 wins, his answer toned down the expectation. He acknowledges that the number is at the back of his mind, however, he is not going to allow it to take over him. That method, race by race, is the very reason why he is so threatening. It is not desperate, not cumbersome. All the calls, such as works around when to push and when to pit, have been precise and clinical. It is an indicator of his maturity, as well as the effectiveness of the team of Chip Ganassi.

Into the future, a 10-win campaign is not absurd. The following five races comprise Toronto, Laguna Seca, Portland, Milwaukee and Nashville. Two street races in Toronto and Nashville may be challenging, but Palou has already demonstrated his ability to drive through chaos. He is dominant at Laguna Seca-winning two out of four starts with 47 percent of the laps completed at the track. Portland worked out pretty well too as he has two victories in his career. In the paper, the two most probable settings where match eight and nine could be collected are those.

The two ovals, Milwaukee and Nashville, are the wildcards as they have not been his usual favourites. However, after the way that he dealt with Iowa, Palou is also losing the idea that ovals are a weak point. He has learned how to deal with tyres, take advantage of the traffic, and coordinate his actions like an experienced driver. A weakness has been transformed in a short amount of time to be another advantage.

Pato O Ward who is the major competitor of Palou is currently trailing by 129 points. There are five races remaining, and Palou has even made it to the top-five on the days he wasn t on his game, hence the sense that he can lose the championship. Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden are still in the equation, but both of them are apparently racing to second place right now.

Of course it is still risky. one off weekend, one retirement, one wrong move in a strategy can open the doors wide. We can see that, as it happened at Mid-Ohio, where Palou was still ready to get another win but ended up making a rare error and losing it as a result. The fact that he reacted to the mistake by accepting it and going stronger says more about his attitude, though, than the mistake itself.

Therefore, will the 2025 see Alex Palou winning 10 races? That all depends on whether he continues what he has been doing all through the year, which is to be focused, to be smart and to race hard, yet patient. He does not have to crave the figure. As long as he continues to play at this standard, it will just work its way to him. And when it does, we will see one of the most well rounded and dominant season in Indy car history.

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