Reigning champion Will Power narrowly missed out on victory in the recent race, finishing just 0.7 seconds behind Josef Newgarden. Power believes that he could have moved ahead of his teammate if he hadn’t been delayed leaving his pit box due to Marcus Ericsson’s pit stop ahead of him. Despite this setback, Power believes that he had a car capable of challenging Newgarden for the win. He felt confident going into the final pit stops and believed that he had the opportunity to take the lead from Newgarden.
Timing and Frustration
Power expressed frustration over the timing of Ericsson’s pit stop, which caused him to wait before leaving his own pit box. He explained that he had been closely monitoring his rearview mirror, anticipating Ericsson’s arrival. The delay cost him valuable time, and he watched as precious seconds ticked away. Power had entered the pits alongside Newgarden, but the delay caused him to lose sight of his teammate. The frustration was palpable as he reflected on the missed opportunity.
Transforming the Car’s Handling
Despite the setback, Power believed that he had the right balance in his car to challenge for victory. A mid-race front wing change had dramatically improved the car’s handling, turning it from “horrible” to “extremely good.” Power led for 30 laps from pole position but was overtaken by Newgarden when he made a mistake in Turn 2. However, he was confident in the car’s performance, stating that it was strong in the middle-to-end of the stint. He also mentioned a great restart after the first caution, which allowed him to climb from sixth to third. This gave him the belief that he could challenge Newgarden for the win.
A Missed Gamble
Power believed that pitting earlier could have given him a clear advantage over Newgarden. He acknowledged that it was a gamble but thought it was worth taking since he was not in contention for the championship. Pitting early would have not only avoided the pit box delay caused by Ericsson but also allowed Power to utilize the powerful undercut strategy to challenge Newgarden. Although he was not aware of the situation on the pit stand, Power believed that taking this risk could have potentially led to a victory. However, he ultimately missed the opportunity.
Power concluded by acknowledging Newgarden’s impressive performance, stating that he has won every oval race he has finished in for a significant period of time. While Power was disappointed with the missed opportunity, he recognized his teammate’s skill and success on the track.
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