Simon Pagenaud

In 2009, Pagenaud and de Ferran Motorsports took huge steps forward, with the duo taking second place overall in the American Le Mans Series LMP1 class, only 17 points behind drivers David Brabham and Scott Sharp of champions Highcroft Racing. The duo of Pagenaud and de Ferran drove the ARX-01 to three wins over a total of ten races and three pole positions, turning the fastest lap of the ALMS weekend 6 times.

Also during 2009, Pagenaud drove in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP1 for the privateer Pescarolo Sport team in the Peugeot FAP 908. The team did not finish the race, completing 210 laps. The race was won by David Brabham, driving in the factory Peugeot Sport Total No. 9 FAP 908 along with former Formula One drivers Alexander Wurz and Marc Gené.

For the 2010 ALMS season, Pagenaud moved over to the Patrón Highcroft racing team, replacing Scott Sharp to co-drive with Brabham in the ARX-01c in LMP1 after Sharp vacated the seat to jump to the ALMS GT2 class with his own Ferrari team. Through four rounds in the 2010 ALMS series, the team of Pagenaud and Brabham lead the LMP1 class with three wins and 91 points.

Pagenaud also earned a seat driving for the Peugeot factory team in 2010 in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans on the renown Circuit de la Sarthe in the Peugeot FAP 908 No. 3 with Pedro Lamy and Sébastien Bourdais.

While the No. 3 Peugeot started from pole, it retired early before nightfall after a mere 38 laps when a suspension mount sheared from the car's tub. The same fate eventually befell the no.1 Peugeot car of Anthony Davidson/Gene/Wurz while in second place with mere hours left to go in the race, as Audi reclaimed the 24 Hours of Le Mans title it had retained for five years before Peugeot's 2009 win.

During the race, Pagenaud found himself competing against his Highcroft Racing team which traveled to Le Mans for the first time in its history. With Brabham driving the Acura in LMP2 alongside Marino Franchitti and Marco Werner, Highcroft maintained second through most of the race until a cooling issue sidelined the car for much of the race's final four hours.

Pagenaud during practice at the 2015 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

He won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on 10 May. This was the first time his father watched him race at the venue.

Pagenaud moved from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to Team Penske in 2015.[4] Pagenaud nearly won the 2015 Indianapolis 500, leading with less than 30 laps to go and engaging most of the race in a 3-way battle between Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. Pagenaud ended up being overtaken by the field and went on to finish 10th, while teammate Juan Pablo Montoya won the race. Pagenaud didn't win a race in 2015 but renewed his deal with TEAM Penske in 2016.

Pagenaud got off to the best start of his IndyCar career with five consecutive podiums, including three wins in a row. As the season progressed, Pagenaud and his teammate Will Power became the primary contenders for the championship. With a strong run at the end of the season, Pagenaud took his first IndyCar Series championship victory, giving Team Penske another championship victory in its 50th year of racing. He finished the season with five race victories and a total of eight podiums.

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

Pagenaud would go winless throughout 2018. Pagenaud won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and he would also win the 2019 Indianapolis 500 from pole position.[5] Pagenaud took the championship lead from Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden, however Newgarden would retake the championship lead one race later in Detroit. Pagenaud would take pole and the win at the 2019 Honda Indy Toronto and took pole at the 2019 Iowa 300, though the win would go to Newgarden. Pagenaud is currently 3rd in the points standings, one point behind Andretti Autosport driver, Alexander Rossi and 34 points behind points leader Newgarden.

During the 2020 iRacing virtual Indy 500 event, Pagenaud was accused of deliberately crashing into lead driver Lando Norris, which led to him being accused of bad sportsmanship.[6][7][8]

Pagenaud finished 2nd in the first race of the 2020 season at Texas Motor Speedway. Pagenaud finished 3rd at the IndyGP after starting in 20th.

Due to a fuel pump issue, Pagenaud's Iowa IndyCar 250 at Iowa Speedway race 1 entry failed to make qualifying and started the race at the back of the grid in 23rd. By lap 178, Pagenaud took the lead and held on to win the 250 lap race.[9] This would prove to be his last win to date in the IndyCar Series.

Pagenaud would enter 2021 as a contract year. 2021 was a difficult year for Pagenaud and Team Penske in general, as the team only recorded three wins of the season with Pagenaud scoring none of them. Pagenaud's best results of the season were two third-place finishes, one at St. Petersburg and the other at the 2021 Indianapolis 500.

Outside of those finishes, he would frequently be beset by poor luck and on-track confrontations with his teammates. He would finish 8th in the drivers' standings for the second year in a row. By the end of the season the racing press reported Pagenaud did not intend to re-sign with Team Penske.

After a difficult 2021 campaign, Pagenaud left the Penske team & joined Meyer Shank Racing alongside former Penske teammate, Hélio Castroneves.[10] Despite an encouraging start to the 2022 season which included a 2nd place finish at the Indy GP, the 60 team gradually lost competitiveness as the season continued, culminating in a 15th place points finish for Pagenaud.

In 2023, Pagenaud returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking part in the LMP2 class for Cool Racing. It would be the first time Pagenaud competed in the race since 2011, where he finished second overall driving for the Peugeot Sport factory team.[11]

During practice for the 2023 Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio, Pagenaud suffered a crash in which his car flipped over several times and he ended up in the gravel. Pagenaud credited IndyCar's aeroscreen for saving his life in the crash. Because of injuries he sustained, Pagenaud was forced to sit out the rest of the season. He was replaced in the No. 60 car by Conor Daly for the Honda Indy 200 and the Iowa doubleheader,[12][13] Tom Blomqvist for the Honda Indy Toronto, the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland, and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey,[14] and 2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist for the Music City Grand Prix, the Gallagher Grand Prix, and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.[15] Both Blomqvist and Lundqvist made their IndyCar debuts filling in for Pagenaud. Pagenaud was ultimately dropped from Meyer Shank Racing and replaced by Felix Rosenqvist from 2024 on.[16]

^* Season still in progress.

(key)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest race lap)

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

¹ Driver competed for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, no points awarded for the American Le Mans Series.

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

^* Season still in progress.

¹ Driver competed for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, no points awarded for the Le Mans Series.

¹ Driver did not run for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

+ Not Eligible for points