Alex Palou Aims for Even More Success in 2026 with Similar but Still Different Look
When Alex Palou climbs into the cockpit of his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda for the 2026 INDYCAR SERIES season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, he’ll be doing so in a car that’s instantly recognizable and harder to miss than ever.
Despite coming off one of the most dominant seasons in modern INDYCAR history, Alex Palou is notably realistic about the challenge of repeating that level of success. Reflecting on his eight-win 2025 campaign, Palou described it as “so strange, so good, so magical,” while acknowledging just how many variables had to align for everything to work.
“You need so many things to go right to get eight wins, to win the 500, to win the championship,” he explained, adding that even a season with six victories would feel underwhelming only because of how extraordinary 2025 turned out.
The reigning series champion has revealed an evolution of his iconic DHL livery that features significantly more yellow than in previous years. The refreshed color scheme amplifies the DHL brand’s vivid palette, with yellow now taking center stage while red accents recede to secondary elements like the rear wing and select panel edges.
While the updated livery signals continuity and confidence, Palou emphasized that visual consistency alone is never enough. One of the pillars behind the No. 10 car’s sustained success has been stability inside Chip Ganassi Racing itself.
“I’ve had the same group of people since day one,” Palou said, pointing to race engineer Julian Robertson and chief mechanic Ricky Davis as constants throughout his rise. That continuity, he explained, allows for precise communication and quicker recovery when weekends do not start perfectly, an advantage he believes remains just as important in 2026 as outright speed.
But the changes are more than just cosmetic: They reflect a championship-caliber team confident in its identity and eager to carry that momentum into the 2026 campaign.
A 2025 Season for the Record Books
Palou’s 2025 performance was nothing short of spectacular. The Spaniard wrapped up his third consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES title and fourth overall in emphatic fashion, winning eight of 17 races, including the prestigious Indianapolis 500, and finishing the year an astonishing 196 points ahead of his nearest rival.
That level of dominance places him among the elite in the sport’s history and naturally puts a target on his back for competitors heading into 2026. Few have achieved sustained success in INDYCAR, and even fewer have done it with such commanding authority.
Still, Palou’s focus remains singular: continue building on that success rather than resting on it.
“It’s not about repeating the past. It’s about improving on it,” Palou said when revealing the new livery. While his words were understated, the message was clear, he sees 2026 as another opportunity to push the boundaries of performance.
Having now checked the Indianapolis 500 off his career list, Palou admitted the victory has only intensified his hunger. “Before winning it, I never thought somebody who already won could want it more than somebody still chasing it,” he said. “But it’s true.”
The experience of being recognized year-round as an Indy 500 winner, long after the checkered flag, has fundamentally changed his perspective. “I just want to feel the same way again,” Palou added, underscoring that the achievement has raised, not lowered, his personal benchmark.
Can He Make History in 2026?
In a modern racing landscape where visibility matters just as much as performance, the updated DHL design gives Palou’s No. 10 car a visual edge before the lights even go out.
The increased use of yellow does more than please the sponsor, it ensures the car stands out on track, quickly catching the eye of fans and competitors alike as it snakes through street circuits, storms down straights, and battles through traffic.
It’s a subtle but strategically smart evolution of a color scheme that has become one of the most recognizable in the paddock.
Palou won’t be alone on the grid this season; he’ll be joined by veteran teammate Scott Dixon, himself a legend with multiple championships, and rising star Kyffin Simpson as part of a formidable Chip Ganassi Racing lineup.
Within that trio, Palou sits at the apex, a driver with proven winning speed, racecraft on all types of circuits, and the championship experience to manage every twist an IndyCar season can throw at him.
With the new livery comes a renewed sense of purpose. Palou isn’t just defending a title, he’s chasing history.
Winning a fourth consecutive championship would place him in a rarified category alongside Sebastien Bourdais, who dominated the series from 2004 to 2007. Palou’s consistency, ability to extract performance, and refined race management make him one of the few drivers on the grid capable of such a feat.
But INDYCAR is a sport defined by unpredictability. Street circuits, ovals, fuel gambles, and tactical pit decisions all contribute to fluctuating fortunes weekend to weekend. Still, if Palou’s 2025 season proved anything, it’s that when everything clicks (driver, team, strategy), he’s nearly unstoppable.
A Champion’s Mindset
The visual transformation of the DHL Honda mirrors Palou’s own mindset going into 2026. There’s confidence, sure, but also a deeper, quieter resolve. A champion doesn’t merely celebrate past wins; he studies them, deconstructs them, and builds toward future success.
That thoughtful approach shows both in how he talks about competition and how the team has positioned itself for the year ahead.
Fans can expect the same calm intensity that defined Palou’s championship run, but now with an even brighter livery to match the spotlight he’ll inevitably be under.
Palou is also acutely aware of how quickly momentum can vanish in INDYCAR. “Everybody starts with zero points in St. Pete,” he said bluntly. “If I finish 18th, you’re going to write about 18th, not about how I won eight races last year.”
That reality has shaped how he approached the offseason, closing the chapter on 2025 roughly two months after the finale and refocusing entirely on preparation for 2026. For Palou, past success is something to remember later, not something to lean on now.
As INDYCAR fans around the world prepare for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to kick off the 2026 season, all eyes will be drawn to the No. 10 DHL Honda. Not just because it’s reigning champion Alex Palou behind the wheel, but because its bold new yellow-forward design symbolizes a champion ready to do more than defend a title, it represents a driver eager to dominate his own era of open-wheel racing.
With history whispering just beyond the finish line, Palou’s journey in 2026 promises to be both a visual standout and a performance benchmark.
written by Philipp Kraus // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment