Simon Pagenaud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Simon Pagenaud
Simon Pagenaud during the Indycar Long Beach Grand Prix 2021
Nationality	French
Born	(1984-05-18) 18 May 1984 (age 41) Montmorillon, France
IndyCar Series career
193 races run over 13 years
2023 position	28th
Best finish	1st (2016)
First race	2011 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Barber)
Last race	2023 Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America (Elkhart Lake)
First win	2013 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, Race 2 (Belle Isle)
Last win	2020 Iowa IndyCar 250s, Race 1 (Iowa)
Wins Podiums Poles 15 38 13
Champ Car career
14 races run over 1 year
Years active	2007
Team(s)	Team Australia
Best finish	8th (2007)
First race	2007 Vegas Grand Prix (Las Vegas)
Last race	Mexico City)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 0 0
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2008–2011
Teams	Team Oreca-Matmut, Pescarolo Sport, Peugeot Sport
Best finish	2nd (2011)
Previous series
2014–2015 2010–2011 2009–2011 2008–2011 2007 2006 2005 2002, 2004 2002–2003	United SportsCar Championship Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Le Mans Series American Le Mans Series Champ Car Atlantic Championship Formula Renault 3.5 Series Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup French Formula Renault
Championship titles
2016 2010 2006	IndyCar Series American Le Mans Series (LMP1) Atlantic Championship
Awards
2012	IndyCar Rookie of the Year

Simon Pagenaud (born May 18, 1984) is a French professional race car driver. He last raced the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the IndyCar Series. Simon had a very successful career in sports car racing. He won the top championship in the 2010 American Le Mans Series. Later, he moved to the IndyCar Series. There, he became the 2016 IndyCar champion. He also won the famous 2019 Indianapolis 500 race. This made him the first French-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since 1920.

Simon Pagenaud also won the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona and 2023 24 Hours of Daytona races with Meyer Shank Racing. These are very long endurance races.

Simon's Early Life and Racing Start

Simon Pagenaud was born in Montmorillon, France. When he was 14, he started working in his family's supermarket. He even managed the video game section there! After business school, he returned to the supermarket. His family later opened a driving school. The money from this school helped Simon start his racing career.

Simon's Racing Journey

Simon began his racing journey in 2002. He competed in French Formula Renault races. He also raced in the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2002 and 2004. In 2005, he moved up to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He finished 16th in that series.

In 2006, Simon came to the United States. He won the Champ Car Atlantic series. He was a rookie, meaning it was his first year. He won by just a few points over another driver, Graham Rahal.

Moving to Champ Car Racing

Because he won the Atlantic championship, Simon received US$2 million. This money helped him join the Champ Car series in 2007. On February 13, 2007, Simon and his team, Team Australia, announced he would move up to Champ Car. Simon finished 8th in the points standings. He had a very steady first season. He finished 4th three times in a row in Canada.

After the Champ Car series ended, Simon moved to the American Le Mans Series in 2008. He drove an Acura ARX-01b LMP2 car. He shared the car with former CART champion Gil de Ferran. Simon finished 14th in the driver's standings that year.

Success in Sports Car Racing (2009-2010)

In 2009, Simon and Gil de Ferran's team made big improvements. They finished second overall in the American Le Mans Series LMP1 class. They were only 17 points behind the champions. Simon and Gil won three races out of ten. They also started from pole position three times.

In 2009, Simon also raced in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He drove an LMP1 car for the Pescarolo Sport team. His team did not finish the race.

For the 2010 ALMS season, Simon joined the Patrón Highcroft racing team. He replaced Scott Sharp and drove with David Brabham. They led the LMP1 class with three wins.

Simon also got to drive for the Peugeot factory team in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. He drove the Peugeot FAP 908 No. 3 car. Even though his car started from pole, it had to stop early. A part of the car broke after only 38 laps.

IndyCar Journey Begins (2014-2015)

Pagenaud during practice at the 2015 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

Simon won the first-ever Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 10, 2014. This was a special moment because his father watched him race there for the first time.

In 2015, Simon moved to Team Penske. He almost won the 2015 Indianapolis 500. He was leading with less than 30 laps left. He had a close battle with Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. In the end, other drivers passed him, and he finished 10th. His teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, won the race. Simon did not win any races in 2015. However, he signed a new deal to stay with Team Penske in 2016.

Becoming an IndyCar Champion (2016)

The 2016 season was Simon's best start in IndyCar. He finished in the top three in his first five races. He even won three races in a row! As the season went on, Simon and his teammate Will Power were the main drivers fighting for the championship. Simon had a very strong finish to the season. He won his first IndyCar Series championship. This was a great win for Team Penske, as it was their 50th year of racing. Simon ended the season with five race wins and eight podium finishes (top three).

More Wins and Challenges (2017-2019)

President Donald Trump congratulating Pagenaud for his Indy 500 win at a ceremony at the White House in 2019.

Simon did not win any races in 2018. But in 2019, he won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis again. He also won the 2019 Indianapolis 500 from pole position. This means he started the race in first place. He was the first French driver to win the Indy 500 in 99 years!

Simon took the championship lead from his teammate Josef Newgarden. However, Newgarden took the lead back in the next race. Simon then won pole position and the race at the 2019 Honda Indy Toronto. He also got pole position at the 2019 Iowa 300. Newgarden won that race. Simon finished the 2019 season in second place overall.

Later IndyCar Seasons (2020-2021)

In 2020, Simon finished 2nd in the first race of the season. He also finished 3rd at the IndyGP, even though he started in 20th place.

At the Iowa IndyCar 250 race, Simon had a problem with his fuel pump. He could not qualify and started the race in last place (23rd). But by lap 178, Simon took the lead! He held on to win the 250-lap race. This was his last win in the IndyCar Series so far.

The 2021 season was a tough year for Simon and Team Penske. The team only won three races, and Simon did not win any. His best results were two third-place finishes. One was at St. Petersburg, and the other was at the 2021 Indianapolis 500.

Simon often had bad luck or problems with his teammates during races. He finished 8th in the driver's standings for the second year in a row. By the end of the season, news reports said Simon would not stay with Team Penske.

New Team and Injury (2022-2023)

After a difficult 2021, Simon left Team Penske. He joined Meyer Shank Racing with his former teammate, Hélio Castroneves. Simon started the 2022 season well, finishing 2nd at the Indy GP. But as the season went on, his team became less competitive. Simon finished 15th in the points standings.

In 2023, Simon returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He raced in the LMP2 class for Cool Racing. This was his first time back at the race since 2011. In 2011, he finished second overall.

During practice for a race in Mid-Ohio, Simon had a bad crash. His car flipped over many times. Simon said that IndyCar's aeroscreen (a safety device) saved his life. Because of his injuries, Simon could not race for the rest of the season. Other drivers filled in for him.

Simon was later replaced at Meyer Shank Racing for the 2024 season. He did not return to IndyCar because his injuries from the crash were still causing problems.

Simon's Racing Results Summary

Simon Pagenaud has had a long and successful career in different types of racing. Here are some of his key results:

Career Highlights

IndyCar Series Results

¹ The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.

Indianapolis 500 Results

Le Mans 24 Hours Results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
2008	Team Oreca-Matmut	Marcel Fässler Olivier Panis	Courage-Oreca LC70-Judd	LMP1	147	DNF	DNF
2009	Pescarolo Sport	Jean-Christophe Boullion Benoît Tréluyer	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	LMP1	210	DNF	DNF
2010	Team Peugeot Total	Sébastien Bourdais Pedro Lamy	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	LMP1	38	DNF	DNF
2011	Team Peugeot Total	Sébastien Bourdais Pedro Lamy	Peugeot 908	LMP1	355	2nd	2nd
2023	Cool Racing	Reshad de Gerus Vladislav Lomko	Oreca 07-Gibson	LMP2	158	DNF	DNF

Images for kids

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  Pagenaud during practice at the 2015 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

• 

  President Donald Trump congratulating Pagenaud for his Indy 500 win at a ceremony at the White House in 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Simon Pagenaud para niños