{"id":1333,"date":"2026-08-27T14:36:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T17:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1333"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:36:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T17:36:31","slug":"ganassi-pays-tribute-alex-zanardi-and-1st-title-with-special-livery-alex-palou-at-laguna-seca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/ganassi-pays-tribute-alex-zanardi-and-1st-title-with-special-livery-alex-palou-at-laguna-seca\/","title":{"rendered":"Ganassi pays tribute to Zanardi and 1st title with special livery for Palou at Laguna Seca"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Honoring a legend:<\/strong> <strong>Chip Ganassi Racing unveiled a retro 1996 livery<\/strong> for \u00c1lex Palou at the Laguna Seca season finale, paying tribute to the late Alessandro Zanardi.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>30th anniversary of &#8220;The Pass&#8221;:<\/strong> <strong>The design marks 30 years since Zanardi\u2019s famous overtake<\/strong> on Bryan Herta at the Corkscrew in September 1996.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Championship on the brink:<\/strong> <strong>Palou leads the 2026 IndyCar title race by 91 points<\/strong> over Kyle Kirkwood heading into the Milwaukee doubleheader ahead of Laguna Seca.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Chip Ganassi Racing<\/strong> will honor motorsport icon <strong>Alessandro Zanardi<\/strong> at the <strong>2026 IndyCar Series<\/strong> season finale at <strong>Laguna Seca<\/strong> (September 4\u20136). Championship leader <strong>\u00c1lex Palou<\/strong> will run a specialized livery inspired by the target lightning-bolt design driven by Zanardi in 1996\u2014the year Ganassi captured its first category title alongside Honda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Jimmy Vasser secured the 1996 championship drivers&#8217; crown, Zanardi etched his name into racing lore at Laguna Seca on September 8, 1996, executing &#8220;The Pass&#8221; on Bryan Herta through the Corkscrew on the final lap to take victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tribute carries added weight following Zanardi&#8217;s passing on May 1, 2026. The updated livery on Palou&#8217;s #10 Honda integrates the bold red hues and lightning graphics characteristic of Ganassi&#8217;s 1996 fleet, blended with modern primary sponsor accents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020313028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sprint-7.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u00c1lex Palou will sport the iconic 1996-inspired lightning livery at Laguna Seca (Photo: Chip Ganassi Racing)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<strong>I&#8217;m excited to have the lightning livery on the car,<\/strong>&#8221; Palou stated. &#8220;<strong>We&#8217;re going to race in memory of Alessandro Zanardi. We&#8217;re going to race at Laguna, at that track, in that corner, and on top of that, it&#8217;s 30 years since the anniversary of Ganassi and Honda&#8217;s first title in IndyCar. So we&#8217;re going to give everything for the fans and for ourselves too. Hopefully, it&#8217;s a great race for us in the #10.<\/strong>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Palou arrives at the final stretch of the season on the verge of securing Ganassi\u2019s record-breaking 19th IndyCar Championship, surpassing Team Penske in the all-time standings. Holding a 91-point advantage over <strong>Kyle Kirkwood<\/strong>, Palou can clinch the 2026 title as early as the upcoming doubleheader at Milwaukee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The livery tribute follows major developments across the IndyCar and global paddock, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/indycar-approaches-goiania-agreement-and-considers-2027-race-in-brazil\/\">IndyCar nearing an agreement for a 2027 race in Goi\u00e2nia, Brazil<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/yuki-tsunoda-leaves-door-open-for-indycar-i-dont-want-to-sit-out-for-two-years\/\">Yuki Tsunoda keeping the door open for a future move to IndyCar<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/nascar\/clash-in-daytona-and-playoff-tweaks-nascar-unveils-2027-season-calendar\/\">NASCAR unveiling its 2027 schedule changes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IndyCar Series continues this weekend with the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader (Rounds 16 &amp; 17) in West Allis, Wisconsin, before heading to <strong>Laguna Seca<\/strong> for the season finale from <strong>September 4\u20136<\/strong>. <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> provides complete live coverage of every session. Follow all updates on our <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/news\/\">news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IndyCar Series Standings (Top 5 ahead of Milwaukee)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Pos<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Driver<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Engine<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Points<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>1<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>\u00c1lex Palou<\/strong><\/td><td>Chip Ganassi Racing<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td><strong>525<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>2<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Kyle Kirkwood<\/strong><\/td><td>Andretti Global<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td><strong>434<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>3<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Pato O&#8217;Ward<\/strong><\/td><td>Arrow McLaren<\/td><td>Chevrolet<\/td><td><strong>412<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>4<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Colton Herta<\/strong><\/td><td>Andretti Global<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td><strong>398<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>5<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Scott Dixon<\/strong><\/td><td>Chip Ganassi Racing<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td><strong>385<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions (FAQ)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Why is Chip Ganassi Racing running a special livery at Laguna Seca?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The special livery pays tribute to the late Alessandro Zanardi and marks 30 years since &#8220;The Pass&#8221; at the Corkscrew, as well as Chip Ganassi Racing&#8217;s first IndyCar title in 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. What is &#8220;The Pass&#8221;?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The Pass&#8221; refers to Alessandro Zanardi&#8217;s famous final-lap overtake on Bryan Herta through the Corkscrew turn at Laguna Seca to win the 1996 season finale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. How can \u00c1lex Palou clinch the 2026 IndyCar Championship at Milwaukee?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Palou can secure the title if he leaves the first Milwaukee race with a 108-point lead, or leaves the second race with a 54-point advantage over second place in the standings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00c1lex Palou will run a 1996-inspired livery at Laguna Seca to honor Alessandro Zanardi, 30 years after &#8220;The Pass&#8221; at the Corkscrew and Chip Ganassi Racing\u2019s inaugural IndyCar title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020313027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Pintura especial que \u00c1lex Palou vai correr o GP de Laguna Seca","42wp_featured_image_credits":"\u00c1lex Palou","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":14,"location":""}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,302,26],"42wp_author":[14],"class_list":["post-1333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indy","tag-alex-palou","tag-alex-zanardi","tag-ganassi","42wp_author-daniel-balsa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1333"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1334,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1333\/revisions\/1334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020313027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1333"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}