Winner last year after starting from pole, Simon Pagenaud will this time be in the shoes of the “hunter” by starting from the back of the grid on Sunday, during the legendary Indianapolis 500 Miles where he intends to triumph a second time in a row. Deeply lacking in speed during qualifying last weekend, his Chevrolet (Penske) could not do better than the 25th fastest time, far from that of Marco Andretti who will try to join his grandfather Mario, crowned in 1969. A double challenge in short for the American, who in addition to the pressure inherent in the event, will have to manage those put on him on the same line by two former winners of this race, the New Zealander Scott Dixon (2008 ) and the Japanese Takuma Sato (2017).
“Last year it was the others who chased us. There, it is we who are going to hunt. "
Simon pagenaudThere is no doubt that Simon Pagenaud's ambition was to find his way there at the forefront, in order to be in the best possible conditions to repeat his feat. Last year, he led the entire race after starting from pole position. This time, he will start from the 9th line, the antepenultimate. “We are better in the racing version than in the qualifying version”, he nevertheless assured this week, showing real optimism. “Last year it was the others who chased us. There, it is we who are going to hunt. From the start, I will have to be aggressive in my overtaking, playing on my experience, my understanding of aspiration to be able to come back up and position myself well in the last 30 laps, to play for the win ”, he added. , revealing an ideal race plan.
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It must be said that the Frenchman, currently 2nd in the general classification of the IndyCar season behind Dixon, has already successfully implemented it a month ago at the Iowa GP. Starting last, he made a fantastic comeback to finally win on an oval. Already. If he manages to turn the situation around, it will be done in deafening silence since for the first time in 104 editions, the 500 Miles will be run behind closed doors, deprived of the indescribable atmosphere usually set by the 400,000 spectators that can accommodate the site. Fearing that diehards will still try to gather around, as they have the right, the space being public, the Indianapolis police will dispatch patrols all around the Speedway and asked these fans to take no risk in respecting security protocols.
Third try for Fernando Alonso
For Fernando Alonso, who will start just behind Pagenaud in 26th position, these unprecedented conditions are “not easy” to manage. “When we are on the track, we have the impression that we are doing the November tests. It's a very strange feeling, ”explained the Spaniard who, in case of victory, will win the famous Triple Crown, awarded to any winner of this race, of the Formula 1 World Championship (or of the Monaco Grand Prix). and the 24 hours of Le Mans. For Alonso (McLaren) this third attempt at Indy should be the last in the medium term, since Renault, with whom he has signed up for two years in F1 from next year, refuses to grant him "this distraction" on this period, in the words of the director of the team, Cyril Abiteboul.
It remains to be seen whether it will be the right one for the Spaniard, also dependent on the performance of his Chevrolet engine, which lost the qualifying battle against Honda last weekend. The Japanese manufacturer trustees 11 of the first 12 places on the starting grid. A reality that could however be different in racing conditions. "We hate to start so far because you have to overtake a lot of cars and use a strategy in this direction, but it is possible to get there here", estimated the Brazilian Helio Castroneves, who will start in 10th row but knows how to what he's talking about, having already won three times at Indy.
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