New RACER magazine puts Palou, Piastri in the spotlight

We’re calling this The Breakthrough Issue, but it could well have been The Delivering on Their Obvious Potential Issue. Not as snappy, but it fits the bill for several of the racers we’re connecting with or telling stories about in RACER No. 335.

For Alex Palou, already a three-time NTT IndyCar Series champion – and homing in on a fourth title as you read this – the lack of an oval race win on his stats sheet was merely a slightly annoying anomaly, but perhaps a bigger deal for others. As he recounts in our cover story, he put that right in the biggest way possible by winning the 109th Indianapolis 500. Seal broken, he then added a second on the Iowa Speedway bullring. Happy now?

We also look at how the Spaniard, on eight wins so far in 2025 and counting, compares with the all-time great Indy car seasons from legends like A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Mario Andretti.

For Oscar Piastri, it appeared only a matter of when, not if he’d become a genuine Formula 1 title contender. But halfway through the 2025 schedule, with a season-high six grand prix wins and a 16-point championship lead over significantly more experienced McLaren teammate Lando Norris, it’s the speed with which the third-year F1 driver has become the guy they all currently have to beat that surprises us.

Can Piastri become the third Australian driver to win an F1 title? We recall the Antipodean aces who went before him – triple champ Jack Brabham and, in a fascinating look back at his 1980 title-winning season, Alan Jones.

We also showcase Robert Kubica’s key role in the AF Corse Ferrari team’s 24 Hours of Le Mans win. He was destined for an F1 Ferrari seat before sustaining a major and permanent arm injury in a 2011 rally crash that completely reset any existing expectations. But Kubica never lost faith in his own potential, and the Le Mans win is more than redemption – it’s a declaration of intent.

And there’s plenty more, including a catch-up with team boss Michael Shank on Meyer Shank Racing’s parallel programs in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and NTT IndyCar Series, six-time IndyCar champ Scott Dixon’s take on how to keep winning, Robert Wickens’ reflections on his first Nürburgring 24 Hours adventure and, 25 years on, a look at two generations of Earnhardts sharing the track and the spotlight in the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series.

Add in our take on performance automotive and car culture in The Scene, analysis on the big racing storylines in The Spin, plus a double dip into two-wheeled action with VR46 Ducati MotoGP racer Franco Morbidelli and motocross rising star Haiden Deegan and, as always, we hope you enjoy the latest RACER as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

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