Pagenaud “no longer has the same pressure as before” in Indianapolis

simon pagenaud will return this weekend to Indianapolis to compete in the Road Grand Prix. The Team Penske driver excels in this event since he has won three times, in 2014 with Sam Schmidt Motorsports and in 2016 and 2019 with his current team.

The 2016 champion who took second place in the first round of the season contested last month at Texas Motor Speedway intends to achieve a 4th success and become the biggest winner in this event while he is tied with his teammate Will Power.

“This Grand Prix really succeeded for me, recognized the winner of the last edition of Indy 500. The 4th victory will really be my goal this weekend, but my life has really changed since last year. I am now very focused. I no longer have the same pressure as before because I have achieved my dream. I can get the best out of myself and make the most of it. »

Simon Pagenaud will be one of the favorites for victory, the 36-year-old Frenchman benefiting from the performance of Team Penske and his experience of road courses.

“It’s clear that Will (Power) and I have a similar riding style, indicated the former champion ofIndycar. I've already had a lot of fun winning the first edition with a small team. It then became a tradition to win the Grand Prix since I joined the important structure of Team Penske. I am lucky to be able to aim for victory in every race. We work hard in this team and we share our information, it helps a lot in the success of the program. Josf (Newgarden) also makes a big contribution. However, there remains this enigma of knowing why we are more successful on certain circuits compared to others. I'm thinking in particular of Detroit (Michigan) where I never had much luck. »

Simon Pagenaud will nevertheless have to get used to the changes made in Indycar, notably with the appearance of the Aeroscreen which can disturb the drivers.

“Texas provided quite a few answers, he admitted. We realized after the race that there were a lot of improvements to be made, but we didn't really have time to make them on the circuit. It will be a similar situation in Indianapolis where we won't know right away what changes to make and we won't have much time with 1 hour 20 minutes of testing since qualifying will follow right after. We will definitely need a few races to adjust this and see our needs for each circuit. Each track is different and it will take a year to make these adjustments. This will surely further strengthen the bonds between the engineer and the pilot. »