IndyCar – Pagenaud: “We are in the fight for the title”

simon pagenaud takes his first victory of the season by winning the first Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The Frenchman took the gamble of not returning to the pits by conserving fuel in the final laps after Oriol Servia (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) preferred to stop. The Poitevin had to concentrate on his rear view in order to monitor his lead over Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) and Helio Castroneves (Team Penske). If the top three in the Championship remains unchanged, the French driver is only six points behind leader Will Power (Team Penske).

“The car was amazing. The engine (Honda) was also good, we were able to conserve as much fuel as possible.”, declared Simon Pagenaud. “This end of the race was very nervous. I was worried about Helio coming back and I didn't know what Hunter-Reay was doing so I just managed my race. I had to slow down to save gas and I don't like driving that way. But it worked and I thank the team because they gave me without a doubt the best car in the field this weekend. We are fighting for the title and this victory is very moving. My father has never been here, this is his first time. His presence makes this success even more beautiful. »

Discover the video summary of the race on this link. The interview in French with the winner can be found here.

Discover the report from the Indianapolis Grand Prix in issue 1960 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.