There's an agreement that takes place when lions are preparing to fight. The feral connection between predators comes into play. It's the sizing up of an opponent's arsenal; length of the fangs, sharpness of the claws, the hulking muscles to drive those weapons into flesh. A killer recognizes its kind.
And then there's IndyCar's new four-time champion Álex Palou. He confuses the daylights out of his rivals. They fit classic race car driver stereotypes: ice-cold hunters or ego-charged aggressors alike. They'll rip through the field, and each other, to reach victory lane.
And then there's Palou, all smiles and innocence and childlike curiosities.