Pagenaud likes Penske progress during Sonoma test

Defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud clinched his title last year at Sonoma Raceway with a crushing performance, and after Thursday's Penske-only test at the 11-turn, 2.3-mile road course, the Frenchman is hoping the knowledge gained will help keep the crown.

"It was a good day in the end, but we didn't get started until lunchtime because it rained in the morning," he told RACER. "Once we got going, we had a big list of things to check off before coming back. Usually Team Penske has really good cars here, but there are new Firestone tires to learn, so there was a lot to try to learn in a short period of time so we could come back with a set baseline."

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With a limited number of free test days for each IndyCar team to use, Penske saved its last day for the site of the double-points season finale. The series has an open test available for all teams next Thursday – the day before official practice begins – and with the loss of the morning to bad weather, Pagenaud and teammates Josef Newgarden, Helio Castroneves and Will Power will be able to carry over some of the untested items for completion.

"It's good planning, for sure," he continued. "Our engineers use the best days to help our team, and it was planned all year long, thinking we would have a few drivers in the championship chase; it turns out it's all four of us, and it was a really good idea to hold this test for right ahead of the race.

"We didn't get to do all the stuff I've wanted to do, but every test day is beneficial with so little testing available. It was good to have our own day, we all see what each other is doing in the team, but next week, all the other teams will see our pace."

Sitting 34 points behind Newgarden entering Sonoma, Pagenaud has a clear plan on how he's going to execute each day of the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma to ensure the No. 1 stays on his Penske Chevy in 2018.

"When we come back, we'll design it," he said of the Thursday test plan created by race engineer Ben Bretzman. "We'll fine tune the cars, and then on Friday, it's about driving, getting ready for qualifying. Then Saturday, it's getting the pole, starting up front, and then we go for the win on Sunday. I can't wait to come back and get going. I really can't."