Monaco, March 19 – Monaco Increase Management driver Alex Palou is tipped by many observers to break through for his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in 2021, as he moved to powerful Chip Ganassi Racing during the offseason. Meanwhile, he’s already done it in the virtual world. 24-year old Palou, from Spain, dominated Round 1 of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge on Thursday night, March 18 for the victory at virtual Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal in the No. 10 NTT DATA Honda. He led 29 of the 32 laps. “It was a tough race,” Palou said. “It was really fun to do”. Palou started from pole as the NTT P1 Award winner and led the first 17 laps. He re-entered the circuit in second behind McLaughlin, who pulled off a successful “undercut” strategy by pitting on Lap 15. 2020. Palou then stalked McLaughlin for the next two laps in a spirited duel. The pair touched on Lap 21, with McLaughlin sliding into the grass and Palou taking the lead for good. “That was intense”, Palou said. “It was really on the edge. He was really on the edge. I had nowhere to go, to be honest, but I think it was just a racing contact. I’m really sorry that he ended up losing one position. I’ll chat with him to make sure everything’s fine”. Round 2 will start at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday, March 25 on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval.