The secrets of Pagenaud's comeback, third in Indianapolis

He has come from far, far away! simon pagenaud (Penske) converted a disappointing 20th qualifying time into a convincing second place at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Saturday July 4.

The Frenchman remains second in the general classification, but it was difficult! “The tests did not go as planned, analyzes the winner of the 500 Indianapolis 2019. We demolished the car but then we took the wrong direction (in terms of settings. Editor’s note).

But this negative point turned into a positive side. I think it allowed us to know very early in the season what we need on this car. We were not completely satisfied at check-out but we adjusted the car and we improved. »

The offbeat strategy pit stops, decided in consultation with strategist Kyle Moyer, played a crucial role in this comeback. “We made up a lot of ground during the stop phases, and we kept the tires in a good performance window. 

We were able to attack just as the rivals pitted. Neutralization (to clear the wreckage of Oliver Askew. Editor’s note) gave us a boost because we had refueled five laps before. »

Whew, she was a hot one today! Put my heart and soul into that race and was so proud the No. 22 team recovered from starting 20th to finish on the podium in third! Amazing start to the 2020 championship campaign, but we missed the fans so much #IndyCar #BrickyardTriple pic.twitter.com/GpLDyTSllj

— Simon Pagenaud (@simonpagenaud) July 4, 2020

Simon Pagenaud also had to deal with a oppressive heat in the cockpit. “It was really physical to drive this car. Thanks to the physical training, I was able to withstand the ordeal. »

Discover the full report of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, in issue 2268 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version and from this Wednesday on newsstands.