Simmering feud brewing between ex-teammates

1 year ago 53

Former IndyCar teammates Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden person engaged successful a cheeky tit-for-tat exchange, triggered by an on-track incident.

Pagenaud and Newgarden precocious contested the 24 Hours of Daytona successful abstracted classes – GTP and the somewhat slower LMP2 respectively.

A collision that sent Newgarden's teammate John Farano into a rotation was deemed to beryllium Pagenaud's fault, who was subsequently fixed a warning.

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Pagenaud joked astir the clash, taking the mickey retired of Newgarden who helium thought was down the wheel.

"I thought the Tower car, that indispensable beryllium Newgarden," Pagenaud said.

"Was it him? Don't archer me. I cognize it was him. Doesn't matter. Let maine conscionable instrumentality it. I'm going to accidental it's him. Please archer him I said that erstwhile you spot him."

It added brackish to the wounds for the Tower Motorsports team, whose car was respective laps down aft a h2o vessel leak fried the ECU.

After reporters relayed Pagenaud's comments to Newgarden, the two-time IndyCar Series victor fired back.

"He doesn't get galore opportunities these days, truthful I'm definite helium enjoyed that," Newgarden said.

"Take them erstwhile you tin get them. There's truthful overmuch happening I don't adjacent retrieve fractional the worldly that happened erstwhile I was retired there.

"Hey, he's a large note-keeper, that guy."

Pagenaud continued poking the carnivore astatine IndyCar's pre-season media day.

The Frenchman suggested his departure from Team Penske to Meyer Shank Racing astatine the extremity of 2021 had opened the doorway for much niggle.

"I haven't heard from Josef actually," helium smiled.

"I thought of texting him. I thought helium would accidental convey you for giving him attraction similar that.

"I conscionable emotion to property the fastener with Josef. I conscionable emotion it. I'm being precise unfastened astir it. I deliberation helium knows it, too.

"It's comic to spot him unsettled a small bit. I similar erstwhile helium gets aggressive. I don't cognize why. It's funny.

"I couldn't bash that before. I would get successful trouble. I tin beryllium myself. I tin accidental what I privation to say. Nobody is upset astir it. I emotion Josef. Don't get maine wrong. I emotion the guy.

"Do I emotion the driver? Not always, but... I bask pressing the fastener with him due to the fact that helium seems similar specified a assured person. Yeah, I similar to conscionable spell astir a small bit, property it."

Asked astir the incidental and the consequent tension, Newgarden said it was a look for disaster.

"Well, you know, erstwhile you're passing (a slower car) successful a GTP, that's a mode to surefire get someone's buttons pushed," said Newgarden.

"He is decidedly nailing it successful that regard. No, seriously, he's astir apt conscionable giving you a amusive dependable bite. I don't know.

"I evidently got a batch of respect for Simon. We were teammates for a agelong time.

"I stake it's conscionable a spot of amusive helium was having, which was good. I'm happy. He looks similar he's successful a bully spot close now, which is great. Everybody deserves that."

Pagenaud admitted determination haven't been galore occasions of precocious for him to conflict with Newgarden successful the IndyCar Series.

The Frenchman's archetypal play with Meyer Shank Racing was lacklustre astatine best, finishing 15th successful the standings with conscionable 1 top-five to show.

"Well, he's close connected the information that past twelvemonth I didn't get to combat him much, I volition bash amended this year," said Pagenaud.

"But I got to physique my squad up, enactment myself successful that situation. We were not determination yet. I anticipation we tin beryllium determination this year.

"But surely not being teammates, you contention differently. Now, the operator that helium is, I person a immense magnitude of respect for him. He's tremendous.

"I mean, he's 1 of the champion astatine what helium does. So beating him is adjacent a amended reward, but I similar my résumé amended than his."

It's not the archetypal clip the brace person been astatine loggerheads.

In 2017, Newgarden made a bold walk for the triumph successful which helium grazed Pagenaud, prompting a fiery effect successful a post-race property conference.

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