Simon Pagenaud On Mid-Ohio Win: 'Exactly What We Needed'

Simon Pagenaud won the 2016 Honda Indy 200 and afterward told reporters the victory was just what he needed for his IndyCar championship pursuit.

For Simon Pagenaud, the Honda Indy 200 wasn’t just his fourth victory in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

It was stopping the momentum of his Team Penske teammate Will Power, who had become Pagenaud’s fiercest championship opponent by virtue of winning three of the previous four races.

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The No. 22 driver was thrilled to be in Victory Lane at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday and impressed with the quality of the racing that put him there.

“I thought it was an incredible race, actually,” Pagenaud enthused at the post-race press conference. “The first part of the race went really well and I thought it was going to be like Toronto again.

“But fortunately we had to the pace to bounce back after the yellow came out. And on the black tires, we saved a bunch of fuel and tried to stay in contact with the guys that were going to pit next.”

Appropriately, Pagenaud had to get around Power to get to Victory Lane and he discussed the back and forth between himself and the No. 12, including the Lap 66 struggle that Power had admitted could’ve wrecked them both.

“Will got us on the pit sequence,” Pagenaud said, “which was a bit of a surprise because we had quite a gap on him, but he managed two more laps.

“He was struggling, and I was about to get a shot to trying to pass him, and the yellow came out. So then I knew that my only chance was really going to be on the restart…I knew that was going to be my chance.

“I tried to set him up in [turn] four; didn’t work out,” Pagenaud continued. “Tried for five, and six, didn’t work out. And again, he made a little mistake on nine.

“So then it was my chance for eleven, which is a very tricky corner to pass, but we managed to make it side-by-side. And then I crossed him in twelve, and that was it for the pass.

“It was an interesting lap, too. I was out of breath at the end of the lap,” the Frenchman admitted. “But it was great racing. Will raced me hard and fair as usual, and I thought it was really good for the fans. Thanks to Penske for letting us race like this.”

Pagenaud also addressed the back injury which had been a talking point for him all weekend. He was seen being helped out of the No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet after the race, and explained that it’s related to a pre-existing condition.

“It comes from my dad. He’s having the same issues,” he said. “Unfortunately that’s how I was born. I’ve had this issue since I was a little kid, and it can happen. One time it happened when I was cleaning my car at home. It’s just one of these things, you’ve got to deal with it.”

He’s scrapped plans for a brief vacation in order to further treat his back.

“I was going to go on vacation, but time on the plane is not a good thing. Sitting down is not a good thing,” he conceded. “I’ll be lying down for the next week and try to get better. We have four more races and of course the championship, and that’s my main priority, so I might have vacation at home.”

Pagenaud praised the IndyCar medical staff and the medical team at Mid-Ohio, whom he said “found me exactly what I needed to get for the race. During the race, I didn’t have much pain…only on turn nine, it was every lap, it was a little difficult to brake and turn. But it didn’t really bother me, so that was great.

“Pain is coming back now,” he laughed, “but it doesn’t matter because we won the race!”

Injury or no injury, no matter how tough the racing, Pagenaud is thrilled to have extended his lead in the IndyCar championship with just three and a half races remaining. IndyCar next runs the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 21.

“I think what we did today was exactly what we needed to accomplish,” he told reporters. “This was a road course where we knew we could be competitive. We knew [Scott] Dixon could be really strong here. He had a bad day, so we needed to capitalize on that, and then it was clear it was going to be Will and I in this race.

“I was calculating in my head, if I finish second to Will, I lose ten points, and that’s only 38 [points ahead]. You don’t know what’s going to happen in the next four races,” Pagenaud continued. “So I thought this is my time to go because I didn’t have much to lose. It was my time to be aggressive.

“The car was just fantastic to drive on the attack more and I took a chance and it worked out. So that was the right approach, and when it works out, it’s great; it’s just one of these days.

IndyCar racing, you never know what you’re going to get. You never know who is going to win,” Pagenaud reflected. “You can start last and win the race; that’s the beauty of this sport. It’s also at times frustrating for guys running up front. But that’s what makes it so interesting. You just have to accept it. So when you have a chance to win, you have to get it.”

He certainly got it in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – and now the next thing he’ll be looking for is winning the Verizon IndyCar Series championship.

What did you think of Simon Pagenaud’s performance in the 2016 Honda Indy 200?

Simon Pagenaud On Mid-Ohio Win: ‘Exactly What We Needed’

By Brittany Frederick | Aug 2, 2016

Simon Pagenaud won the 2016 Honda Indy 200 and afterward told reporters the victory was just what he needed for his IndyCar championship pursuit.