Pagenaud: don't ask too many questions at the start

Le Poitevin, who had already started from the front row in 2015, admits to naturally thinking about the start where he will be surrounded by pole sitter Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing) and his teammate Will Power. But he refuses to overanalyze the situation upstream.



« There are millions of possible scenarios but you can make all the movies you want in your head and then something else will happen, book Pagenaud. You will have to react accordingly, be in the moment and not ask too many questions because it is a long race. Risk-taking must evolve over the course of the event. At the start, there is no necessarily need to take the lead, a bit like at Le Mans. But hey, you shouldn't relax your effort too much either because it will grow behind you. I must not find myself 6th after the first corner ».



The champion IndyCar 2016 is keen to play at the forefront from the start of the race because he sees this as the best way to have a say in the final packaging.



« I think it will be an advantage to stay in the top 5 throughout the race, he continues. If you're in the Top 5 with 40 laps to go, you have a chance. If you're 10th, you're screwed, unless there was a fuel strategy like with Alexander Red in 2016. It's going to be more of a road circuit type race. You will have to be well placed, with a constant car in the relays. There is also tire degradation to manage, which was not the case in previous years and some drivers are not necessarily comfortable in this area. »



Listening to the feedback from many players on the field, the introduction in 2018 of new aerodynamic kits in IndyCar has shaken up the situation on ovals. Despite a frustrating start to the season, Pagenaud feels he is in harmony with his Chevrolet-powered Dallara.



« I feel super comfortable, he describes. Already this version of cars on the ovals, I feel very good because there is less downforce, the way the aero behaves is very easy for me to understand. Today, I'm able to say what I need like on a road circuit where I'm able to influence the engineer by saying 'Look, I think it's a softer shock absorber that I need rather than the front wing to gain front axle'.



On an oval, it's much more complicated because the wheels are asymmetrical, you have many more factors. It's hard to say what you need in terms of pure settings. But now I can tell if it's a shock absorber, a shock absorber spring, the wing, the trim of the car, or the cambers, something I wasn't able to do before. It's the experience. Last year, I was already starting to really feel it and this year, it really progressed ».



The green flag marking the official start of the 102nd edition of the Indianapolis 500 will take place at 12:19 p.m. local time, or 18:19 p.m. French time.