Cadillac F1 has announced that Indy 500 winner and IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud will serve as the team's simulation driver.

      Simon Pagenaud

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      “It takes a village,” goes the saying. Establishing a new racing team, particularly a Formula 1 team, necessitates identifying the right talent and assigning them to suitable roles, and that’s only the beginning. Understanding this, the Cadillac F1 Team has entrusted one of the most skilled free agents available today with the monumental task of developing its future F1 car: Simon Pagenaud.

      The Indy 500 champion, IndyCar series titleholder, and seasoned endurance racer brings extensive experience to this position, where he’s in charge of influencing the early phases of the F1 car’s performance. In fact, he has already been working on this for the past year, well ahead of the team capturing headlines or confirming Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as official racing drivers.

      Simon Pagenaud

      Pagenaud, a long-time associate of The Drive, unfortunately experienced a severe rollover accident at Mid-Ohio during the 2023 IndyCar season. After being diagnosed with a serious concussion, the well-liked French driver had to take a break from full-time racing and face a lengthy recovery. It goes without saying that I am truly delighted to see him back behind the wheel, even if it's currently on a virtual race track.

      “Optimizing the technical aspects of a car and managing relationships with the factory personnel has been my passion since I began racing,” Pagenaud stated. “I take great pleasure in communicating with the engineers, developing the simulator, and making it as realistic as possible. This role gives me a sense of being useful and contributing my expertise, which has felt absent since my accident.

      “My role and my aim are to make the simulator as realistic as possible and to lay the groundwork for the car,” he continued. “I want to assist Cadillac in accurately projecting itself towards reality.”

      As has been the case for many years, particularly during the ongoing hybrid era of F1, simulator work is crucial for racing teams. This allows engineers and drivers to experiment with new setups and components without the lengthy and costly process of creating real parts and testing them on an actual track. Sometimes, that option isn’t even available due to tight budget constraints and limited testing opportunities. Ironically, back in 2022, when I visited Honda’s multi-million-dollar simulator used for IndyCar and IMSA, it was Pagenaud who explained the procedure of developing a virtual race car.

      Pagenaud’s extensive knowledge in team dynamics, development, setup, and, of course, pushing a car to its limits will undoubtedly prove advantageous for Cadillac, as the team prepares for its first F1 race in just five months.

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