IndyCar – Victory and title for Pagenaud

simon pagenaud was imperial in Sonoma (California). The Team Penske driver wins his first title in IndyCar after securing his fifth victory of the season, the ninth of his career, by dominating the last race of the calendar.

The Poitevin driver was almost assured of the coronation before the checkered flag, his teammate and only rival for the title Will Power having lost several laps following a sensor problem in the gearbox. The Frenchman finished 127 points ahead of the Australian.

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) appeared to threaten Simon Pagenaud in the final laps, but the driver of the No. 15 ultimately finished three seconds behind the winner. Juan Pablo Montoya completes the podium on the road circuit where he lost the title in 2015, preceding Ryan Hunter-Reay (AndrettiAutosport) and Alexander Red (Andretti Herta Autosport) who finished as the best rookie, notably thanks to his victory at the 100th edition of the Indianapolis 500 last May.

With Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) only 17th after a difficult race, Team Penske saw three of its drivers finish in the top positions of the Championship, Helio Castroneves snatching third place from the four-time champion. Sebastian Bourdais (KVSH Racing) took tenth place.

IndyCar results at Sonoma

Discover the report of the IndyCar in Sonoma in issue 2081 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.