Will Power concluded a positive first track outing with Andretti Global during a tire test at Phoenix Raceway on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old Australian wore an all-black firesuit with minimal patches and rode a matching No. 26 Honda. He, along with former Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden, competed in the 1-mile tri-oval as part of Firestone’s preparations for next month’s open test scheduled for Feb. 17-18, ahead of IndyCar’s crossover race weekend with NASCAR on March 6-7.
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There were four hours of track driving, intended to serve as a confirmatory test following 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 that this test was a continuation of superspeedway tire development, with the right front tire noticeably different from anything raced in IndyCar to date. The tire is wider than the manufacturer’s current right front tire, with unique construction features that, due to the width, add (lateral) grip when cornering.
Conditions were cloudy and in the mid-50s for most of the day, but the cool temperatures weren’t the only thing Power had to get used to after spending 17 previous seasons with Team Penske.
“It’s funny, you feel out of place, but once you get in the car and you start, you’re just like, ‘Oh,’” Power said, via video courtesy of IndyCar. “It’s an Indy car. It’s going through the same processes. Very good first laps. Now we have a lot of work to do. It’s nice to feel the Honda engine, it’s very good. I’m really looking forward to being among a lot more cars to see where we stand.”
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Power, a two-time series champion and winner of the 2018 Indianapolis 500, was also checking in on the team’s learning, including its race engineer, Andy Listes.
“Yeah, I’m just learning everyone’s name,” Power said. “Obviously I’m working closely with my engineer, Andy, at the moment, which is nice. It’s just typical stuff. You’re just trying to figure out how everything works in this team.
“I’ve been with another team, Penske, for 17 years, so it was like second nature; we didn’t think about anything. Here you had to put the steering wheel in the right position, the pedals and the padding, and just basic things like that. But it’s all good.”
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In the final IndyCar Series race at Phoenix in 2018, Power started third and led 80 laps before ending up due to contact after 153 laps. And he hasn’t forgotten it.
“I have some unfinished business here,” Power said. “I had a few chances to win and it didn’t work out. But I love this place. I love the neighborhood, the city. Yes, it’s going to be fun.
“I think it’s good for us to have an open test here because I feel like just looking at past results, it’s somewhere we need to improve, so we’ll have a lot of time. It’s going to be fun.”
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