Alex Palou Wife
Have you met Alex Palou Wife Esther Valle? Alex Palou is a Spanish racing driver who competes for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series. He secured the IndyCar Series championships in 2021, 2023, and 2024, and also won the $1 Million Challenge. Palou is the first Spanish driver to win a National Championship in American open-wheel racing and the first Spaniard to achieve a victory in the GP3 Series.
Esther Valle
The lovely Esther Valle also know as Esther Palou some say Esther is Alex’s longtime girlfriend, others say she is Palou’s wife, after all it was him who referred to Esther as his wife.
“When I jumped off the car, I couldn’t stop telling my wife Esther and my father that it didn’t make any sense, not the opportunity itself, which it didn’t either, but the behavior of the car and how different it was.“
Esther Valle and Alex Palou have been since 2014 when Alex was 17. They have been inseparable ever since. Their adorable daughter Lucia was born on December 04, 2023.
Together, they founded Coffee & Greens, their coffee shop, which opened its doors in 2020 but sadly closed two years later.
Esther Valle Palou studied at ESIC Business & Marketing School from 2007 to 2012; she served as Press Officer, Community Manager, Marketing, Euroformula Open Team Coordinator, and Logistics at PR & Communications from 2015 to 2017.
Also, in 2017, Esther was the team manager, logistics manager, and team coordinator at Teo Martin Motorsport, and between 2018 and 2019, she was the assistant and team manager at Jota Sport in the United Kingdom.
Alex Palou Bio
Álex Palou’s passion for racing ignited in his hometown of Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain, where he began karting at a young age. His karting career peaked with a European championship title in the WSK Euro Series.
Transitioning to open-wheel racing in 2014, Palou joined Campos Racing in the Euroformula Open Championship. He quickly made an impact, securing victories at the Nürburgring, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and the Hungaroring. His strong performance earned him third place in the championship standings, just one point shy of second.
GP3 Series Career
2015 Season
In 2015, Palou stepped up to the GP3 Series with Campos Racing. The season was marked by a steep learning curve, with initial reliability issues and driving errors.
- Early challenges: He faced reliability issues and made rookie mistakes in the first half of the season.
- Mid-season improvement: By the midpoint of the season, Palou began to find his footing, scoring his first GP3 points at Spa-Francorchamps.
- Historic victory: Culminating in a breakthrough victory at Yas Marina Circuit, where he made history as the first Spanish driver to win a GP3 race.
2016 Season
Returning to Campos Racing for a second GP3 season, Palou continued to develop, achieving a second-place finish at Silverstone and a fifth-place finish at Yas Marina, ultimately finishing 15th overall in the standings.
World Series (2017)
In 2017, Álex Palou participated in three rounds of the World Series Formula V8 3.5 championship with Teo Martín Motorsport. During this partial season, he secured three pole positions and won one race, finishing 10th in the championship standings. Later that year, he joined Campos Racing for two rounds of the Formula 2 championship, where he scored five points. Despite leading most of the Jerez sprint race from reverse grid pole, worn tires dropped him to an eighth-place finish. Palou ended the season ranked 21st in the Formula 2 standings.
Japanese Formula 3 (2017)
Palou competed in the Japanese Formula 3 championship with Threebond with Drago Corse. He claimed three victories during the season and finished third in the championship, behind Mitsunori Takaboshi and Sho Tsuboi.
FIA Formula 3 European Championship (2018)
In 2018, Palou returned to Europe for a full season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Hitech Bullfrog GP. He achieved seven podium finishes over the course of the season and concluded the year in 7th place in the overall standings.
Super GT and Super Formula (2019)
In 2019, Palou raced full-time in Japan, competing in both Super GT and Super Formula. In Super GT’s GT300 class with McLaren Customer Racing Japan, he partnered with Seiji Ara and secured one podium at Autopolis but finished 15th overall. In Super Formula with TCS Nakajima Racing, Palou excelled by winning at Fuji Speedway from pole position. He also claimed pole at Suzuka’s final round but was hampered by a ventilation duct issue, finishing 19th and dropping to third place in the championship.
IndyCar Career
Dale Coyne Racing (2020)
Palou debuted in the IndyCar Series in 2020 with Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh. Despite being taken out early in his first race at Texas Motor Speedway, he earned his first IndyCar podium at Road America.
Chip Ganassi Racing (2021–Present)
In 2021, Palou joined Chip Ganassi Racing and made an immediate impact by winning the season opener at Barber Motorsports Park. He went on to claim three wins and several podiums throughout the season, ultimately securing his first IndyCar championship. This made him the first Spaniard to win an IndyCar title and only the third Chip Ganassi Racing driver to achieve this feat.
In subsequent seasons, Palou continued to perform strongly, adding more wins and podiums to his record while solidifying his reputation as one of IndyCar’s top drivers.
The contract controversy surrounding Álex Palou began in July 2022 when Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced they had extended Palou’s contract for the 2023 IndyCar season. Palou quickly disputed this claim on social media, stating he had informed CGR of his intention to leave and join McLaren Racing. McLaren then announced they had signed Palou for 2023, leading CGR to file a lawsuit against Palou.
In September 2022, a compromise was reached: Palou would stay with CGR for 2023 while testing McLaren’s Formula One car, with plans to join McLaren for the 2024 season. However, in August 2023, Palou informed McLaren he would not honor this agreement, choosing to remain with CGR.
McLaren responded by suing Palou for approximately $30 million in the U.K. Commercial Court, seeking to recover investments made in Palou, including sponsorship revenue, testing costs, and his advanced salary. Palou admitted to breaching the contract in his legal response, citing a loss of faith in McLaren’s ability to secure him a Formula One seat.
Despite the ongoing legal battle, Palou continued to excel on the track. He secured pole position for the 2023 Indianapolis 500 and went on to win his second IndyCar championship that year. In 2024, Palou maintained his strong performance, clinching his third IndyCar title and becoming the first driver to win consecutive championships since Dario Franchitti’s three-year streak from 2009 to 2011.
Formula One
Regarding Formula One, Palou participated in McLaren’s Testing of Previous Cars program in 2022, testing the MCL35M at various circuits. He made his Formula One free practice debut at the 2022 United States Grand Prix, describing the F1 car as “insane” and “capable of so much.” In December 2022, McLaren named Palou as a reserve driver for the 2023 Formula One World Championship.
As of February 2025, the legal dispute between Palou and McLaren remains unresolved, with mediation ongoing and potential court proceedings scheduled for later in the year.
