Castroneves: consistency is crucial
IRL IndyCar Series leader Helio Castroneves has pledged to focus on consistency in the second half of the season as he chases his first major title
The Brazilian has been amongst the top drivers in American single-seater racing for almost a decade, with a combined tally of 16 Champ Car and IndyCar wins, including the 2001 and 2002 Indianapolis 500.
But Castroneves has never managed to translate that form into championship success.
He currently leads the IRL standings by 22 points from Scott Dixon after winning three of the season's first six races, but says he will now be conservative when necessary to maintain his advantage.
"For example, Watkins Glen, we had a chance to at least finish fifth, probably fourth. And we decided to pit," Castroneves recalled in a teleconference.
"When we saw other competitors behind us (pitting), like way out in the top 10, we decided to put on two tyres and be safe and run for the points, and that was a smart thing.
"So consistency is the key. That's why Scott is right there as well, because he's the only good driver so far that did not have any trouble, and so we need to keep doing that slowly but surely.
"Right now we have all the ingredients, all the tools, and there are so many things that we control in ourselves.
"But unfortunately there's a lot of things that we cannot control, and that's what happened (in the past). Hopefully we'll stay away from those things."
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