Scott McLaughlin hints at 'professor' Simon Pagenaud's return to his Indy 500 squad

Scott McLaughlin came out ahead of the 109th running of the Indy 500 and hinted at former winner Simon Pagenaud once again showing up in his corner during the upcoming race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Frenchman helped McLaughlin before the 2024 race, which helped the Kiwi driver secure the pole position.

Scott McLaughlin moved from New Zealand in the 2020s to race in IndyCar. The Kiwi previously raced in the V8 Supercars championship and faced difficulties around ovals and the IMS. Before the 2024 Indy 500, McLaughlin approached his almost neighbor and former Indy 500 winner, Simon Pagenaud, for help.

The Team Penske driver attributed his pole position to Simon Pagenaud. In the recent episode of the Marshall Pruett podcast named MP1602, the motorsport reporter sat down with McLaughlin for an interview. Pruett asked the #3 Chevrolet driver whether he would have Pagenaud in the garage this time around for the Indy 500.

“I can't ask for a better person to be in my corner. Yeah, he should be at the 500. At least in the weeks, maybe practice week. We're still trying to go through those details, but he also doesn't want to get in the way,” replied Scott McLaughlin (22:05 onwards)

“We keep in touch, and he's sending me messages every minute. He's texting Ben during the sessions. He's all in, but he loves it... I've really enjoyed bringing him back to a racetrack because he's just too good a guy not to be at a racetrack. He's an absolute professor. And for me to be able to have him in my corner is a huge thing,” he added.

The two live close by in North Carolina, and Pagenaud opened up his book of secrets to McLaughlin, and it sure did work. P14 was Scott McLaughlin's best qualifying and race result at the Indy 500 before the 2024 race. But it changed after the 31-year-old finished P6 after starting on pole for last year's race.

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Scott McLaughlin gifts Simon Pagenaud his pole position helmet for the Indy 500 guidance

Simon Pagenaud, during the winter break before the 2025 IndyCar season, took to the social media platform X and uploaded an image with Scott McLaughlin where the Team Penske driver gifted his pole position helmet from the 2024 Indy 500 to the Frenchman.

Pagenaud came out and thanked the 31-year-old as the tweet read:

“It’s hard to find the words! A very special gift from a very special man!! Thank you allowing me to witness your talent and be a small part of your journey!”

McLaughlin replied with a tweet that read:

“This is so little for the guidance you gave me in 2024 particularly at Indy and then continue to give me for the future. Love ya bro ❤️”

Scott McLaughlin's Indy 500 helmet was a special one as it matched the famous Yellow Submarine livery run by the Kiwi at the IMS. The visor also had a message written on it for the Frenchman.