No Hard Feelings: Pagenaud and Canada’s Wickens still friendly after rough race

By John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

TORONTO – France’s Simon Pagenaud and Canada’s Robert Wickens exchanged bumps and jockeyed for position on the Honda Indy Toronto track. After the race, they traded jokes.

Pagenaud finished second and Wickens, from nearby Guelph, Ont., took third on Sunday in the IndyCar race at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto. When Pagenaud came on stage to accept his trophy he strode over to Wickens first and shook his hand. When Wickens entered the conference room to address media, he handed Pagenaud his sunglasses after the older driver left them behind.

“I think it’s because we both made it through,” said Wickens to a round of laughter. “If one of us didn’t finish I think there would be very different feelings.”

Added Pagenaud: “I for sure agree, for sure agree.”

Pagenaud and Wickens were in the middle of the pack when race leader Josef Newgarden hit the wall on Turn 11 of the 33rd lap, allowing eventual winner Scott Dixon to charge ahead. Newgarden slowed as he fought to regain control of his car, creating a pileup at Turn 1 that included Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Will Power, Max Chilton, Ed Jones, Alexander Rossi and Sebastien Bourdais.

The ensuing restart allowed Pagenaud, Wickens and Canadian teammate James Hinchcliffe to surge to the front of the pack. Hinchcliffe, from Oakville, Ont., faded before a final push saw him finish fourth, while the running skirmish between Pagenaud and Wickens lasted for the rest of the race.

“To be honest, we were both right on the edge and I think that’s what IndyCar racing is all about,” Wickens said at the news conference. “We both definitely pushed the boundaries but we didn’t go too far where you just destroy the other guy and I think that’s where the limit was.”

Wickens then turned to Pagenaud for his response, but the Frenchman just shook his head.

“No no, that was perfect, I would have said the same thing,” said Pagenaud.

This was the first IndyCar race in Canada for the 29-year-old Wickens, who attended last year’s Toronto Indy and had run to the winner’s circle to see Hinchcliffe accept his third-place trophy. Wickens has three podium finishes so far this season and has been in the top five for three consecutive races.

“Our setup is so good because we really push each other,” said Hinchcliffe, who is the senior driver for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. “Every track that we’re going to, a lot of them Robby is going for the first time. (…) We sit down every weekend and we go over notes, go over video, he picks my brain a bit.

“Every position and every situation he’s been put into he’s handled like a veteran. No different here this weekend.”

Montreal’s Zachary Claman DeMelo, the other Canadian rookie in the race, finished 14th, his second best finish on the IndyCar circuit this year. He was 12th at the Indianapolis G.P. on May 12, where Wickens also finished third.

Although Hinchcliffe and Wickens are bigger names in car racing, Claman DeMelo was impressed with how supportive the fans were all week at the only international stop on the IndyCar schedule.

“The fans were great. I expected to probably be a little bit overshadowed by Hinch and Wicky,” said the 20-year old. “But the fans were great all weekend. A lot of people knew me. I got a lot of support, signed a lot of autographs. Extremely cool experience.”

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