IndyCar – Simon Pagenaud: “I want to get back No. 1”

Author of an exceptional season in 2016, simon pagenaud had the Indianapolis 500 as a priority on his calendar last year. After the disappointment of his 14th place on the legendary American oval, the Frenchman played the leading roles until the end of the championship but was unable to defend his crown, beaten by his Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden.

The two rivals notably offered a virile duel at Gateway Motorsports Park, and, despite a better end to the season with a success in the final at Sonoma in California, Simon Pagenaud was unable to prevent Newgarden from being titled for the first time.

A situation that the former pilot Peugeot en Endurance wants to reverse this year. The Frenchman, with great experience, could benefit from the new car equipped with the universal aero kit and counts on the work of the Chevrolet engine manufacturer against rivals powered by the Honda unit.

« I want number 1 back, proclaims the Frenchman on the website IndyCar Series. It's just a loan. I am convinced that we will have a big evolution this year, but we never know how much the competition will strengthen. You can only concentrate on your game.”

Team Penske will see its driver line-up changed for the 2018 campaign as Helio Castroneves will only compete in the two Indianapolis races after switching to Endurance with Penske, on an Acura ARX-05 DPi.

“Helio was the father of the group, describes Pagenaud. It was good to have it. Even on difficult days, he is still able to just be happy and take the positive out of every moment, which is a great human quality. I always tried to understand how he did it and learn something from it to become better. »