Simon Pagenaud has provided an update on his recovery, stating that he is making major progress, but is still not yet ready to get behind the wheel of a race car.
The Frenchman suffered a high-speed accident during an IndyCar practice session at Mid-Ohio last July, with his car tumbling multiple times through the gravel before ending up against the barrier.
Pagenaud was helped from his car and was able to walk away, but suffered lingering concussion symptoms that have prevented him from returning to competition.
After providing only a few updates over the past seven months, the 39-year-old posted a message on his website on Monday to let his fans know how he is doing.
“I wanted to give you some news today about my recovery process,” said Pagenaud. “I know it’s been a long time, and I felt it was time to give you an update.
“I’m making major progress. Unfortunately, the injuries don’t show on the outside. I actually feel really great physically, but it’s on the inside. Those are frustrating injuries because you don’t get to see them heal. Just time makes the difference.
“I’m having to be very patient. I’m having to do a lot of rehab, and I’m getting stronger every day with that. However, it goes up and down, some days you get better and some days it’s a regress.
“Overall, I just want to reassure everybody that, as you can see, I’m doing well. To be at the top level, you have to be great. I’m working on that. I’m working on getting myself back to 100% with all the doctors.
“The IndyCar medical team has been phenomenal, helping me and connecting me with the right people. I do a lot of work in the background that right now nobody gets to see.
“I want to thank everybody for the support. I want to reassure everybody that I’m not forgetting about all the support and all the fans out there. Thank you very much everyone. I’ll keep working hard and keep pushing. I’m very hopeful to get stronger and better very soon.”
Pagenaud was a veteran of the NTT IndyCar Series since his debut in 2011, and has also competed in select races of the IMSA SportsCar Championship for the past decade.
Among many accomplishments, he has achieved one IndyCar championship, one Indy 500 win, and two wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
That event is scheduled to be contested next weekend, and Pagenaud’s lingering health has kept him off the roster. He is still not sure if he will be able to return for any portion of the 2024 season, but has vowed to keep working towards a full recovery.
“Due to the accident, I couldn’t continue my season which meant that I only did eight races in 2023,” Pagenaud continued on his website. “Ever since, I have been concentrating on getting my health back to 100%. For that, I have been working closely with a great team of doctors and I have been progressing every day.
“I don’t know yet if I will be back behind a wheel in 2024 nor if I am ready for it. I want to take things slowly to make sure that when I come back, I am at my very best again.
“For now, I want to thank all of you who have sent messages of support, and of course a big thanks to my family, friends, and team who have been there for me 24/7.”
“2023 wasn’t an easy year for me as most of you will know,” read the blog post. “My racing was cut short on July 1 when I had a big accident during practice at Mid-Ohio. My car suffered a manufacturer brake failure resulting in my leaving the track with several high-speed rolls at 180mph.
“The IndyCar safety team did an amazing job to get me out of the car and to look after me in the first hours after the impact, and I will be forever thankful to them.
… we’re not stupid. We know, his problem isn’t physical – asj.