If Simon Pagenaud wants to win the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series title, he’ll need to join the short list of drivers who can win at any time and on any track. The 30-year-old Frenchman has become a consistent threat on road and street courses, claiming wins for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at Belle Isle, Baltimore, the GP of Indy and Houston, but achieving his ultimate goal – an IndyCar championship – will require his mastery of ovals.

“I think it is a really good point to make,” Pagenaud told RACER. “At this point, I think I’ve got to a level on the street and road course where the car and the team is probably the best right now. With my experience, it’s paying off. I feel like anywhere we go, street course or road course, we can win. Now, on the ovals, it’s certainly has been a big improvement this year, even though it doesn’t always show.”

Pagenaud qualified the No. 77 SPM Honda an impressive fifth for the Indy 500 and finished 12th, then added two strong oval results to his championship account, placing fourth at Texas and sixth last weekend at Pocono. He’s clearly on an upward swing and closing in on becoming an all-rounder, but it’s hard to envision a title going his way without earning podiums and possibly a win at Iowa, Milwaukee or Fontana.

“If I look at Texas, for example, what would it take to win?” he asked. “Obviously, there was a little bit more speed needed in the car to win. That would’ve helped. But when you look at a guy like [Ed] Carpenter or [Helio] Castroneves, who clearly are the best on the ovals, I’m still learning some tricks. Running with them at Texas gives me a taste for it. And I’m learning – I still get surprised sometimes learning tricks during the race, and I add those things to my oval knowledge. That’s my process, and I don’t think Helio or the other experienced guys still have to go through that. But the biggest thing for me right now is I feel I’m, getting close, really close.”

Pagenaud’s oval learning curve has mirrored what his former teammate Will Power has gone through at Team Penske. The Australian’s incredible road racing skills have kept him in the title hunt since joining the Penske outfit full time in 2010, yet his limited oval experience acted as a barrier that kept him from multiple championships.

Power’s breakthrough finally came in 2013 where he demonstrated all he’d learned on the way to winning at Fontana, and as he learns more about oval chassis setup and driving techniques, Pagenaud could be in for a similar breakthrough. Whether that happens in 2014 – his third season of IndyCar Series competition – or next year, there’s no question that threshold is quickly approaching.

“On the street course and the road course I know I can win, no matter what,” said Pagenaud, who holds third in the championship standings. “The car doesn’t have to be perfect, although it helps, but I can make up for some things if it isn’t. But the biggest thing I found is actually to make the car exactly like I need it on the ovals. I think on ovals it is more personal what you like, what you don’t like and what you can win with and what you cannot win with. To give you an example, some guys will be able to run a much more free car than others from a control level. We’re talking race trim, not qualifying trim.

“Obviously, the fastest way in qualifying is to be free and almost loose. You only have to do a few laps, that’s fine. But doing it the whole race like Carpenter and Dixon do, for example, is a whole different story. You have to find your comfort level, and what they can do with a car moving around the whole time is pretty amazing. That’s not my comfort level, yet.”

Another area of growth for Pagenaud has been to take a more selfish approach to oval setups. Multi-car teams regularly pool driver feedback and chassis settings to find a common path forward, yet group-think isn’t necessarily the direction to take when refining a car on an oval.

“I’ve also learned it’s all about being focused on yourself, understanding the tools, what does what, and basically fixing the package in such a way that you are comfortable to attack people,” he added. “On the road courses, you and your teammate can try things that maybe work for both of you, but ovals are more personal that way. It’s possible you can both like the same thing, but you need to focus more on your own needs. That is my thought process and that is what I’m understanding works really well for me.”

So how does Pagenaud rate his chances at the remaining ovals on the calendar? Asked if he’d be pleased with more top-6s, the 30-year-old set the bar a bit higher.

“I think it’s more so top-3s than top-6s…” he replied. “I’m talking about absolute win and domination like we showed in Houston. That’s what I want to do, obviously, but to do that I need a little bit more time. But I feel like top-3s and, depending on the situation, second and sometimes a win, yes, is possible. Iowa is kind of my favorite, and Fontana, I also feel very good there. Those tracks actually suit me very well.

“You have to think about the championship, especially for the 500-mile races with big points to earn. Looking how important it was to be well-placed at the Indy 500 and how some guys lost their season with a bad finish. It was key for the championship. So if I can’t win the race, I’m going to be very careful scoring as many points as I can. That’s for sure.”