Alex Palou: An Astounding Return to GT3 For Indy 8-hour

Alex Palou, driver of the No. 10 for Chip Ganassi Racing, will get behind the wheel again, driving the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Lonestar Racing. The 11-time open-wheel winner will participate in the eight-hour endurance race with drivers Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a three-day event from October 4-6. The event will host the Fanatec GT World Challenge and the Indianapolis eight-hour endurance race.

The Indianapolis eight-hour marks the first time Palou has been behind the wheel of a grand touring vehicle in five years. He previously competed in the Japanese Super GT 300 class for McLaren Customer Racing Japan and Super Formula for the Tamiya Championship Series and Nakajima Racing in Japan. The move is one the driver has considered making for a while.

What the Return to GT3 Means

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Palou recently closed out the season with the IndyCar NTT series winning a championship at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix 15 days ago at Nashville Superspeedway. However, he set his sights on racing in the grand touring series again after previous experience in Japan with Team Goh in the Super GT series. While racing a GT3 McLaren 720S with the team, he placed third at the Road America race and 16th in the overall standings against other drivers.

He hopes he’ll be able to reignite that success in his GT3 return at the upcoming eight-hour endurance race powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). The return means a lot for Alex Palou because he can rejoin and compete against friend and fellow Spanish racer Dani Juncadella, who he’s been cheering on from the sidelines. The 27-year-old is unhappy with watching GT3 races rather than competing and knows he has to find a way to get back behind the wheel of a GT3. He didn’t hesitate to accept when AMG offered him a chance to race in Indianapolis.

Can Alex Palou Pull a Win Next Week?

Having raced in a GT3 before, Palou is confident in his ability to win the endurance race but believes it will take some getting used to after racing an open wheel for the past five years. The steering wheel in an open-wheel vehicle is tighter, whereas a GT3 has a much looser one, and the car’s weight will be heavier, so it won’t pick up speed as quickly, which worries him. Even so, Alex Palou is ready and overwhelmed with excitement to represent Mercedes-AMG and Lonestar Racing.

The versatile driver knows that learning the car inside and out will be crucial to victory and bringing home another trophy, especially with contenders like Christopher Mies and Kelvin van der Linde on the track. The length of the race is another component Alex Palou will consider because it requires complete mental and physical preparation to remain unphased and maintain focus behind the wheel for eight hours.

Final Thoughts

Alex Palou’s skill as a returning endurance driver will be tested next weekend. Still, there’s no doubt he has what it takes to win after finishing out the IndyCar NTT series with a championship win and an average speed of 234. 217 mph, ranking 16th in the Japanese Super GT in 2019 and third place in a third career start. Tune into CBS Sports on Friday, October 4th, for practice and qualifying to see Palou square off for a top spot in the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with Lonestar Racing at Indianapolis Motorspeedway.

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Article originally written by Sarah Talker