The courtship of Simon Pagenaud might have been brief, but Team Penske’s interest was piqued years ago while he was competing in the American Le Mans Series.
Penske Racing president Tim Cindric said that he and team owner Roger Penske “took notice of what his capabilities were” in the 2008 and ’09 seasons co-driving with former Team Penske driver Gil de Ferran at de Ferran Motorsports.
Pagenaud, who won the 2006 Champ Car Atlantics Series title as a rookie, netted the 2010 LMP1 title with co-driver David Brabham, and he interspersed three Verizon IndyCar Series races into his 2011 ALMS schedule. Pagenaud joined Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports for 2012, and won four races in the 62 races over the three seasons.
Pagenaud also held a longtime interest in joining Team Penske, and a multi-year deal was announced Sept. 29. Pagenaud will drive the No. 22 Chevrolet as Team Penske expands to four cars for the first time.
Click it: Pagenaud makes it four at Team Penske
“Really, this has been the opportunity (because of his contractual obligations) that we've had to bring him on board,” Cindric said. “If that meant changing to a four‑car program, that's what we were prepared to do. We feel like any time you can expand an organization, certainly it’s satisfying to know that we can continue to add to the Team Penske heritage, and bringing Simon on board was certainly an added plus to that."
The move also could be viewed as a hedge against the future. Pagenaud, 30, joins drivers Helio Castroneves, who turns 40 in May; Juan Pablo Montoya, who turned 39 on Sept. 20; and Will Power, who is 33.
“This is a business you have to be kind of looking ahead to be sure that you're prepared,” Cindric added.
This past season, the four drivers combined for seven victories and 30 top-five finishes in the 18 Verizon IndyCar Series races. Power earned his first series championship, while Castroneves was the runner-up and Montoya – in his return to Indy car racing after a 13-year absence – placed fourth. Pagenaud won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 10 and won the back end of the Houston street course doubleheader June 29. A day earlier, he earned his first Verizon P1 Award.
“I'm really excited to get to work with Helio, Will and Juan Montoya. Having three teammates like them is definitely a huge help as a driver to complete the steps, and it's going to help the team as well,” said Pagenaud, who met up with his new teammates Sept. 30 during an INDYCAR event at Verizon headquarters in New Jersey.
“Feeding off each other will be an important task. We all work for Team Penske, and that's how it works here.”
Pagenaud said that signing with Team Penske is “the next step in my career.”
“I've been working my whole life as a race car driver, and now was perfect timing for Team Penske to come and work together,” said Pagenaud, who finished fifth, third and fifth in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship standings the past three years.
“As a driver, you grow, and there are teams that you look for and there are teams that you admire. Team Penske has always been a team I've always admired. The Penske way has always been something that impressed me, and I felt like I would fit the mold really well. I don't think any driver would turn down any opportunities from Roger Penske, so it was because of my interest in this team, it was the decision I made. I have to thank Honda for the past and for everything that they helped me to do. But, like I said, I just admired this team so much, this is my decision.”
