Mister consistency

Australian Will Power won his first IndyCar title back in 2014. Since then, he won many races in this exciting series and was a title contender several times, but mistakes and some bad luck prevented him to do so. Now aged 41, and with the experience acquired through the years, Power conceded a different approach. ‘Be steady’ he told himself all through the 2022 season with as result, nine top three finishes.

“Definitely gave up some wins just for consistency,” Power said after clinching his second series title. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet driver won one race only this year – in Detroit – but he seemed to always be in the frame.

He opened the season with five consecutive top-four finishes and finished out of the top six only four times in 17 races. Even stronger, he completed every lap of every race edging out teammate Josef Newgarden by 16 points in the final standings.

“You’ve done it long enough, you just iron out all those stupid little mistakes that potentially you’ve made over your career,” he said. “It’s been a really focused, solid year all around.”

Still Power didn’t backed off too much. He won five P1 Awards, earning four in the final seven races, proving he’s still got plenty of speed, to catch and pass Mario Andretti for the sport’s record for career poles. The record-setting 68th came in the season’s final race at Laguna Seca, as Power delivered a strong performance to secure his second championship and the record-extending 17th for Roger Penske’s organization.

As for his approach for the coming season, Power might change it in 2023: “Maybe I’ll go out next year and try to win races,” he said. It will be an exciting IndyCar season for us to watch.