Pagenaud proud of 'special' Sonoma win despite falling short of title

Simon Pagenaud says that his win at Sonoma on Sunday was the highlight of his 2017 season, despite surrendering the championship to Penske teammate Josef Newgarden by 13 points.

Pagenaud was the sole driver to opt for a four-stop strategy, and although it was primarily intended as insurance against an untimely yellow, he was able to make it work well enough to pop out ahead of Newgarden after his final stop, and hold on for the victory.

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"When you have to be on top of your game in a very pressured moment, those are my favorite times, favorite moments," he said.

"Being able to accomplish that is a very special thing, so I'm very proud of that, very proud of my team in general – no mistakes, perfect decisions. It was a flawless weekend for us. I think when you walk away from here, it's just what you take away and what you enjoy the most."

Pagenaud earned the win after withstanding a vigorous attack from Newgarden at the beginning of the final stint, with his red-shod teammate trying to capitalize on the time it would take Pagenaud's final set of harder-compound rubber to come up to speed. He later described that out lap as "special," but admitted that there was a lesson to be learned from Newgarden's aggression during that phase of the race.

"He's an aggressive driver, but he makes it work," Pagenaud said. "I'm not that kind of driver, so maybe I need to step up my aggressive level. That's the kind of things you learn. Also, it's good to have young blood coming in. It pushes you further, pushes your limits away, and he's a very smart young man, so obviously you're always learning, and if you think you're not learning, it's probably time to quit. I'm going to keep looking and learning from him, and other drivers."