Interview
IndyCar
Catching up with Simon Pagenaud
A quick Q&A with French IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud ahead of the 2014 season.
Published: Feb 11, 2014, 11:52 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The metropolitan streets are deserted and dimly lit in the wee hours of the morning. Simon Pagenaud unlocks a warehouse door and opens an envelope that contains his classified mission: evaluate the 2015 Acura TLX prototype.
"It's real James Bond stuff," Pagenaud said of his role in a TV commercial he filmed in Los Angeles late last year.
The star is the car, but the IndyCar Series driver, who enters his third full season with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is pleased with his supporting role.
"It was impressive to see how precise this industry is with lights and how the go about achieving what they want on the screen," said Pagenaud, who compared the prowess of the production crew to his race car crew. "It was exciting. I have a different respect for acting."
Catching up with Simon Pagenaud:
Simon Pagenaud
Photo by: John Hendrick
Q. So, did you get to drive the car as part of the commercial?
A. I did the driving backward in the alley, which wasn't easy because I'm not used to driving backward. There was a stunt driver who did a lot of the other stuff. I did a lot of the acting. I think the video was about two minutes and we spent 14 hours on the set. I had a great time with the Acura people. It was good to be involved in some new things, which is a testament to my relationship with Honda and I'm proud of it.
Q. Preseason test days are busy, working through many technical changes. Do you get to focus on your driving?
A. The twin turbo engine changes a lot of things so it's important to test with it and also tune it for everybody basically. It has a different behavior and it's important to that relationship with the HPD engineers and try to understand how to extract the best out of that engine and make the twin turbo work well. It'svery encouraging the work we've done so far.
(At Sebring last week) we're working mostly on drivability - making it more or less aggressive when you step on the power.
Sometimes you want to focus on your driving a little bit more instead of doing so many different technical changes, but testing is all about making the car comfortable for yourself, making it as fast as possible and then you focus on your driving when it's time to be on your 'A' game.
Q. To get that seat time, even in a different car like you did at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, is important?
A. I actually had 24 hours to work on my driving, to work on my skills, because you drive and there's nothing you can do to the car. I enjoyed driving the HPD Prototype. It was a great way to kick off the season and a good time.
Q. Will you follow up by competing in the 12 Hours of Sebring?
A. We'll be back in the car before the (IndyCar Series) Open Test the next day at Barber Motorsports Park. It will be interesting. We haven't done much testing yet, and there are a few things we want to improve on the race car to make it easier to drive and faster essentially.
Q. It's Year 3 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. How does that familiarity help you moving into the season?
A. I feel really comfortable in this role. I've proven what I can do already, although I want to extract more out of myself. The team is pushing really hard, and people don't see how much work my guys are putting in. I can tell you they're working hard at making this car a championship contender for this year. It's a veryexciting prospect. I'm relaxed and focused and happy to be starting soon.
Q. You'll have another rookie teammate this year, Mikhail Aleshin. How smoothly do you think will his transition be?
A. Mikhail is used to driving powerful cars and used to being in big teams so I think there will be a lot less adjustment for him, although he has to learn how to drive on ovals, which isn't easy, but he's taken a great approach. It won't be easy. There are so many challenges with IndyCar, so many details. He has a lot of talent and he's really smart, and I think he'll fit in well with us. He's already helping us with feedback.
IndyCar
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Davey Hamilton renews partnership with SPM for 2014 Season
Next article KV Racing Technology and AFS Racing to field car for Saavedra
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Simon Pagenaud
Team Penske and Chevrolet announce multi-year extension of IndyCar partnership
IndyCar
IndyCar
Team Penske and Chevrolet announce multi-year extension of IndyCar partnership
Pagenaud provides health update, status of returning to racing in 2024
IndyCar
IndyCar
Pagenaud provides health update, status of returning to racing in 2024
IndyCar 2023 season review: Meyer Shank Racing
IndyCar
IndyCar
Laguna Seca
IndyCar 2023 season review: Meyer Shank Racing
More from
Arrow McLaren
Free agent Nolan Siegel ‘not done with IndyCar dream yet’ as he targets 2027 seat
IndyCar
IndyCar
Free agent Nolan Siegel ‘not done with IndyCar dream yet’ as he targets 2027 seat
Arrow McLaren signs multi-year engine extension with Chevrolet
IndyCar
IndyCar
Arrow McLaren signs multi-year engine extension with Chevrolet
IndyCar retains Independent Officiating Board leadership and managing director Scot Elkins for 2027
IndyCar
IndyCar
IndyCar retains Independent Officiating Board leadership and managing director Scot Elkins for 2027
Latest news
Maverick Vinales: “If I stay at home, I don’t get paid”
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
6 min
Maverick Vinales: “If I stay at home, I don’t get paid”
The unexpected problem Honda encountered despite its second F1 power unit upgrade
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
37 min
The unexpected problem Honda encountered despite its second F1 power unit upgrade
MotoGP Australian GP: Full starting grid as four riders forced out of Phillip Island race
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
38 min
MotoGP Australian GP: Full starting grid as four riders forced out of Phillip Island race
Red Bull identifies two "key focus" areas after Max Verstappen's promising start in Austin
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Red Bull identifies two "key focus" areas after Max Verstappen's promising start in Austin
Feature
Discover prime content
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe