Pagenaud: “It’s like the World Cup”

At 27 years, simon pagenaud is the youngest member of the crew of the Peugeot 908 n°9 of which he shares the seat with his compatriot Sébastien Bourdais (32 years old) and the Portuguese Pedro Lamy (39 years old). But for the young Poitevin, the difference with his teammates ends there: “We are all as competitive as each other. Age has nothing to do with it. I already have a lot of experience in my career in endurance and particularly in prototypes. »

Unlike the old 908 HDI FAP, Simon Pagenaud followed the entire genesis of the new LM P1 du Lion: “I'm very proud to have been part of the first laps of the car, to have seen its evolution. »
Despite the intensive development program for the new 908, the Peugeot driver remains cautious: “We realize that we are never ready enough for Le Mans. This was already the case last year. This year, we have a brand new car, so that's something to keep in mind. »

Simon Pagenaud compares the Sarthe route to an arena: “It’s one of the only races in the world that gives you this feeling: when you’re on the starting grid, you have 300.000 spectators around you. I race in the USA and we find the same atmosphere. Doing the 24 Hours of Le Mans is magical. It's like going to the Football World Cup. I set myself two dreams to achieve: winning the Indianapolis 500 and winning Le Mans. »