Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden is going into 2020 IndyCar season with an unchanged mindset and the same title-winning approach.
Off the back of a major achievement of winning two IndyCar titles, it’s easy to want to coast – be less tenacious, and take it easy. This behavior is seen in all walks of life, and particularly in sport, and, therefore, motorsports.
And, given that Penske’s Newgarden has now won his second world championship in IndyCar, the assumption that he plans to slow down is understandable. However, the American made it clear this such a change in mindset has not happened in his case.
“Not for me I don’t think,” said Newgarden. “Similar to last year we have a similar approach every season of trying to prepare as best as possible. We do a nice analysis together from the previous year.
“Really all of us at Penske, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, me, we sat down with the team in the off-season. I think as the drivers, we try to get together and push in a common direction. We all feel pretty similar about where our weaknesses were, strengths were.
“We try and improve on that, just make ourselves better in all areas for the next season. We have the same goals. We need to try to win the Indianapolis 500 as a team, same thing with the drivers championship. It will go in that order.
“The prep is the same. A little bit more pressure I guess to try to do it again, but the preparation doesn’t change,” summed up Newgarden. The two-time champion’s teammate Pagenaud also achieved a major win last year, with an Indy 500 triumph.
The Frenchman had similar things to say as Newgarden as he claimed that his mindset and attitude are unchanged. Although, Pagenaud, reckons a Indy500 victory far bigger laurels considering the magnitude of the race, than IndyCar title.
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