Simon Pagenaud would gladly welcome double Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin into IndyCar as a team-mate, feeling he would bring more visibility to the sport.
McLaughlin has been given a couple IndyCar test runs by Team Penske this year and has impressed the whole team with his natural ability behind the wheel.
His first outing at Sebring in mid-January was followed by more test running at Circuit of the Americas last month where he recorded the third fastest lap of the week.
Commenting on what he’s seen of the Kiwi’s driving skills, Pagenaud said, “He’s been impressive, I must say.
“He’s obviously a great champion. You don’t win the V8 Supercars champion twice without being an incredible driver.
“It’s expected for him to jump into anything and be fast and end up understanding the series.
“Having champions come from other series for IndyCar is really good. It just shows the interest. It just shows that the series is on the upward trend.”
McLaughlin currently drives for DJR Team Penske in the Australian Supercars Championship and has used that connection to get his IndyCar experience underway.
The Kiwi has already been confirmed to run a race entry for Team Penske at the GMR Grand Prix in May this year and is understood to be looking to race in IndyCar full time next season.
Pagenaud, for his part, was able to get a lot of good data from his preseason testing. He admits this week is a busy one with both he and the team working hard to analyze all the information in time for St. Petersburg next weekend.
“We definitely going to need to put a lot of effort in developing with this package,” said the 2016 IndyCar champion.
“It’s exciting because that’s when the relationship with the engineers and the development guys become crucial for a good season.”
Pagenaud is hoping for a better start to the season than last year, when he finished in seventh position in the opening round and didn’t score his first podium until he recorded a victory at the fifth round of the season on the Indianapolis road course.
