Verizon IndyCar Series team co-owners Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson have enjoyed immense success since signing Simon Pagenaud as a rookie in 2012, yet with three consecutive top-5 finishes in the standings and the Frenchman serving at the top free agent entering the off-season, there's no guarantee he'll return next season.
With Pagenaud's contract coming to an end later this month, the rising IndyCar star could sign a multi-year extension with SPM or head elsewhere, and while his possible movement has been a topic of great interest, the team behind Pagenaud's success has also been working on securing its future – with or without the four-time race winner.
"The good news is that the plan from three years ago (to hire Pagenaud) worked out; some people might have thought we took a little risk there but we did our homework, we had a solid team in place, and the good news is Simon helped us raise the level of the team," Schmidt (near right, BELOW) told RACER. "In return, we helped raise his value. It was a win-win, we got everything out of the deal we wanted, and I think he got everything out of it on his end."
Pagenaud is expected to make his decision in the coming days, and Schmidt hopes SPM's offer will keep Simon in the No. 77 Honda, although based on his tone, Schmidt might not be surprised if there's a vacancy to fill. He's also working on securing a long-term deal with Mikhail Aleshin, who drove the No. 7 SPM Honda last season, and is currently recovering from the injuries he suffered at Fontana on Aug. 29.
"It is our absolute priority to keep things exactly the way they were last year because we haven't had the benefit of having both drivers return for a second year together and I think that would be a powerful combination," he said. "Over 2013, we went forward in a lot of areas. We went backwards at Fontana, but we could have potentially finished second in the championship with Simon, and for all the obvious reasons, we're battling for consistency."
Pagenaud has taken time since Fontana to weigh his options. He's been on some rather impressive shopping lists at various points over the past few months, and one trusted source went as far to say Pagenaud rang Honda to say farewell and thank them for their years of support. If it's true, Simon could be headed for one of IndyCar's most storied teams.
"We haven't been told we won't have [consistency], but we can't compete with a massive salary offer that could be out there and that he deserves," Schmidt admitted. "So we have to have a Plan B, Plan C...and we've been working down that path for a couple weeks. The good news is with the results of the team, we've been amazed at the people who've come out and said they want to drive for our team. Some are obvious, and some, including a few Formula 1 stars who are currently on the grid at the moment, might not be as obvious, which has been very cool.
"So we've been talking with all of our partners, all of our commercial partners as well, to see what options we and have to take everybody's temperature on things. Our current deal with Simon is up on October 1, and I expect we'll know his decision by then, if not earlier."
Schmidt is also waiting to see how international affairs might affect Aleshin's return next season. Escalating sanctions by the U.S. on some of Russia's state-influenced banks, including Aleshin's sponsor SMP, could complicate the Moscow native's continued participation in IndyCar.
"I wake up every morning and watch CNN to find out if anything else has been done to impede our progress; I never thought I'd have to look at the international news to find out where my program's heading next year (laughs), but it does have some bearing on things," Schmidt said.
Aleshin wants to return, according to Schmidt, which is a positive sign that could inspire his faithful backers to find the money required to secure his future in the series.
"I spent some time with [Aleshin] when he was still in California, and all he could talk about was next year's schedule, that he was sorry about tearing up the car, that he was hopeful the team wasn't mad at him, and all he wants to do is get back in the car, which is great," Schmidt noted.
"It's going to take him a while to recover, and we'd love to have him back, but I don't know if that's our decision or his decision at this point. It's probably going to take another 30 to 45 days to figure out there and we're working on contingency plans in the meantime."
Schmidt and Peterson could have two seats to fill or a full house once they know where Pagenaud and Aleshin will land for 2015, and despite the uncertainty, Schmidt's confident his team will maintain its place among the Andrettis, Ganassis and Penskes in the IndyCar Series.
"We took a lot of effort to work on our chemistry, to work on what our employees need, and it's great to get the kind of feedback we receive on how well we work together and the caliber of our program based on the people we have in place," said Schmidt. "I don't want to say it doesn't matter who's in the cockpit, because it absolutely matters, but the response from our guys is that they know we can do some pretty incredible things with a good driver in the No. 7 and the No. 77.
"There's a belief out there that if you go and hire a bunch of good guys, you'll have a good team, but as some teams have found out, the names of the people you hire aren't as important as how they all work together. Good guys, individually, don't get the job done. We have a great group that works together, and we're confident we have a team ready of winning with any quality driver in the seat."
