The 39-year-old Frenchman has not competed in any event since suffering a vicious practice crash during the IndyCar Series weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July.
Meyer Shank Racing was forced to call on a rotation of substitutes for the final nine of 17 rounds, with Conor Daly, Tom Blomqvist and Linus Lundqvist piloting the No. 60 Honda. Entering 2024, Blomqvist has become the team’s full-time driver of the entry.
In the meantime, Pagenaud, the 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2016, has spent the offseason focusing on getting healthy.
On Monday afternoon, the driver took to social media and his personal website to share the latest:
“2023 wasn’t an easy year for me as most of you will know. My racing was cut short on July 1 when I had a big accident during practice at Mid-Ohio. My car suffered a manufacturer brake failure resulting in my leaving the track with several high-speed rolls at 180mph. The IndyCar safety team did an amazing job to get me out of the car and to look after me in the first hours after the impact, and I will be forever thankful to them.
“Due to the accident, I couldn’t continue my season which meant that I only did eight races in 2023. Ever since, I have been concentrating on getting my health back to 100%. For that, I have been working closely with a great team of doctors and I have been progressing every day.
“I don’t know yet if I will be back behind a wheel in 2024 nor if I am ready for it. I want to take things slowly to make sure that when I come back, I am at my very best again. “For now, I want to thank all of you who have sent messages of support, and of course a big thanks to my family, friends, and team who have been there for me 24/7.
“While I am working out my next steps, I also want to take the opportunity to look back at my career and reminisce with you about past success and special moments. But don’t get me wrong: This is not the end as better times are ahead!
“Have a great 2024 everyone!”
