Simon Pagenaud will miss his sixth consecutive Grand Prix this weekend while he continues to recover from his dramatic practice crash in early July.
The veteran took a heavy tumble through the gravel during that weekend’s second practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and has not raced since.
The crash was linked to a part failure that caused his brakes to fail at the end of the fastest portion of the track, resulting in him tumbling seven times before coming to rest against the tire barriers.
Pagenaud missed that weekend’s race and continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. He is working closely with IndyCar’s medical team and has not yet been cleared to return to racing.
Pagenaud posted a video message on social media on Monday, reiterating that he’s taking his time and is making sure that he’s back to 100% before hopping in the car again.
“Hello everyone,” he said in the video. “I wanted to give you a little message from the house, unfortunately. Watching the races from the couch is not much fun.
“I’m recovering, and it’s taking longer than I expected. I have extremely good medical team behind me; the IndyCar medical team has been tremendous. We’re going to do this the right way, so I’m being patient. It’s certainly taking some time.
“It’s great to see Linus doing so well for his first time at Nashville with Meyer Shank Racing. I look forward to seeing you guys together at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, which is one of my favorites. I wish I was there.
“I can tell you I’ll do everything I can to be back 100% very soon. I look forward to seeing you back at the track.”
Pagenaud has raced in 207 IndyCar events throughout his 13-year career, and has notched 15 wins in that time.
He has never been sidelined for any length of time due to injury before this, and his prolonged absence has drawn concern from fellow competitors and fans alike.
After this weekend’s race, there are three races remaining on the 2023 IndyCar schedule. It is unknown at this time if Pagenaud will be able to return to racing before the season concludes.
