Despite the pride of his victory, Josef Newgarden “doesn’t want to get too excited”

For the first IndyCar round of the season, Josef Newgarden dominated the proceedings by winning in St Petersburg (Florida). However, the winner of the last 500 miles of Indianapolis prefers to remain measured for the rest of the season.

Published on 11/03/2024 à 13:15

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Despite the pride of his victory, Josef Newgarden “doesn’t want to get too excited”

Josef Newgarden was, by far, the fastest in St Petersburg. Photo IndyCar Media

Josef Newgarden was barely worried this Sunday in the streets of St Petersburg for the first race of the season. Quiet winner, the Penske team driver, is obviously delighted with his 30th victory in IndyCar that no one seemed to be able to dispute: “I’m really proud. I am always proud of my team and even more so today. They deserve it. They did a great job in the offseason. »

🗣️ Hear from the WINNER 🗣️@josefnewgarden checks in from Victory Lane.#INDYCAR // #FirestoneGP pic.twitter.com/mtvZwjUNa4

- NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 10, 2024

Josef Newgarden is already planning for the future

Despite the rejoicing of success, Josef Newgarden “don’t want to get too excited.” “We should take advantage of it. It was very good. I can't tell you how good it feels, but it's only day one. We have to pass tomorrow. Tomorrow, this is what will pay the bills and allow us to progress in the championship”, projects fifth in the standings last season.

“Things change all the time. I think IndyCar is the toughest competition in the world to get everything lined up (during a weekend, Editor’s note), so there are drivers moving up and down the grid all the time. I just don't think you can count on any one individual to be up to the task.", he tempers.

Such good performances on ovals?

Disappointed with his last season on urban circuits, the 33-year-old American nevertheless performed well on ovals, winning four victories. Asked about his future performances on this type of circuit, “hopes to return to last year’s form”.

“It’s not because we were strong on ovals in 2023 that we will be strong again this year. I've made this mistake many times of thinking you can just use the same recipe that worked the year before, and it didn't always work, He continues. I think we have taken the necessary steps to be better on the street circuits. I think we can achieve it on the road circuits as well. We just need to make sure we preserve the great oval package we had. »

According to Josef Newgarden, his excellent start to the season is also due to the good internal climate within the Penske team. “I don't feel any difference in terms of internal pressure. We are still the same. We are expected to show up and do great work, and we feel it internally. [...] The only thing I would say is that it's been a great start to the year. We're off to a good start, and now we just have to figure out how we can keep (this momentum, Editor’s note) throughout the season, concludes the championship leader.