Will Power wrapped up a positive first on-track outing with Andretti Global in a tire test at Phoenix Raceway on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old Aussie sported an all-black firesuit with minimal patches and piloted a No. 26 Honda to match. He, along with former Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden, took to the 1-mile tri-oval as part of Firestone’s preparations for next month’s open test expected for Feb. 17-18, ahead of IndyCar’s crossover race weekend with NASCAR March 6-7.
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There were four hours of on-track running, which was meant as a confirmation test after a two-day outing in November with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi. Firestone confirmed to Motorsport.com this test was a continuation of the superspeedway tire development, with the right front tire significantly different than anything that has been raced in IndyCar to date. The tire is wider than the manufacturer’s current right front tire, with unique characteristics to the construction that, due to the width, adds cornering (lateral) grip.
Conditions were cloudy and in the mid-50’s for most of the day, but the cool temperatures weren’t the only thing Power had to get used to after having spent 17 previous seasons with Team Penske.
“It’s funny, you feel very out of place but once you get in the car and you get rolling, then it’s just like, ‘Oh,’” said Power, via a video courtesy of IndyCar. “It’s an Indy car. It’s going through the same processes. Very good first few runs. Now, we got plenty of work to do. It’s nice to feel the Honda engine, it’s very good. Definitely looking forward to getting in amongst a lot more cars to see where we stack up.”
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Power, a two-time series champion and winner of the 2018 Indianapolis 500, was also getting up to speed with learning the team, notably his race engineer, Andy Listes.
“Yeah, just learning everyone’s name,” Power said. “Obviously, working closely with my engineer, Andy, at the moment, which is nice. It’s just the typical stuff. You’re just trying to understand how everything works in this team.
“I’ve been at one other team, Penske, for 17 years, so it was just like second nature; you didn’t think about anything. Here, you got to get the steering wheel in the right position, the pedals and padding, and just basic things like that. But, all good.”
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When the IndyCar Series last raced at Phoenix in 2018, Power started third and led 80 laps before ending up out due to contact after 153 laps. And he hasn’t forgotten it.
“I have unfinished business here,” Power said. “I’ve had a couple of chances to win and it hasn’t played out. But I do like this place. I like the area, the city. Yeah, it’s going to be fun.
“I think it’s good for us that we’re having an open test here because I feel like, just look at the results in the past, it’s somewhere where we need to improve, so we’ll get plenty of time. It’s going to be fun.”
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