Rolex, IndyCar Champ Pagenaud is All-In on Motorsports for 2028 Olympic Games

With growing speculation that the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles might add a motorsports component—a race of electric-powered karts has been mentioned the most—IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud is all for it.

The French driver might be a bit too old to actually compete himself—he’d be 44 years old when the Olympics are held July 14-30, 2028—but he loves the idea of seeing young drivers from around the world competing in LA.

“I think if you were to put countries behind racing, there would be more interest from people,” the driver of the No. 60 Meyer-Shank Racing Honda said during IndyCar preseason media days on Tuesday near Palm Springs, Calif. “A bit like we saw the World Cup of soccer was incredible, right? You saw countries just following the sport, following it because it's their countries fighting against each other, fighting in sport.

“I watched it. I'm not someone that watches soccer, for example, every day. That final, I was on the edge having a heart attack (he said with a laugh). I think that's sports. I think that's what sports do. They bring emotion, passion, desire. That's what life is about, right?

“The Olympics, I think, would do something incredible like that. I would welcome it. I don't know in which form, but I think it would be fantastic.”

While it’s possible some IndyCar or Formula 1 drivers might take part in the 2028 event—if it’s approved—the bigger picture is to draw more youngsters into racing not just in the U.S., but also in Pagenaud’s homeland, as well as other countries around the globe.

“More exposure is always going to be better,” Pagenaud said. “With Netflix, for example, the ‘Drive to Survive’ created an interest from people on racing, not just Formula 1, but on racing. I think that's the reason why we're seeing more attendance at a lot of races.

“I was recently at the Rolex. The attendance was the most they've ever had. Le Mans is 100 years this year. Same thing; it's packed, it's full. IndyCar is seeing a rise, as well, interest from drivers from all over the world, we're seeing (New Zealander Marcus) Armstrong coming in, we've seen (2021 IndyCar Series champ Alex) Palou make it here, we're seeing Romain Grosjean, a lot of drivers that have interest into the IndyCar Series and realize that this is a place where you can make a really good career.

“It's a really good platform for us drivers to create a lifestyle and a life view, as well.

“Can we do better in the future as a sport in general, not just IndyCar but racing in general for more exposure? Yes. But a lot of things are changing right now. That's definitely changing the way that people look at cars in general.

“We’ve just got to make sure we keep racing as a passion and that we don't forget that young people love cars. That's going to be the key for us in the future, to make sure we have people coming to the racetracks.”

Follow Autoweek contributor Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski