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Josef Newgarden flourished upon his move to the ‘big time’ in IndyCar last year. Many have come and gone before, struggling to go from plucky midfielder punching above his weight to champion material, but Newgarden nailed it at the first attempt as he secured his maiden IndyCar crown.

The pressure will now be on Newgarden to not only defend the title, but really seize a position at the top of the series and establish himself as one of IndyCar’s finest, a la Scott Dixon or Will Power.

There’s no reason to doubt that he is capable of doing so. How he adjusts to the new-style Indy cars with the universal aerokit will be interesting, as well as status as the reigning champion with a target on his back. But if his easing into life with Penske is anything to go by, IndyCar’s new golden boy should be in fine stead indeed.