IndyCar Silly Season battle between Will Power and David Malukas for Team Penske seat

Team Penske star Will Power's contract with the team ends after the 2025 season. With just one race to go, i.e., the Nashville Superspeedway, Roger Penske hasn't offered any real insight on whether the Australian will continue with his team in 2026. On the other hand, David Malukas has been rumored as a possible replacement for the IndyCar Veteran.

Both Will Power and David Malukas have been the top-performing drivers for Team Penske and AJ Foyt Racing, respectively. However, the veteran is currently the one who's the better performing one when a direct comparison between the two is made.

Will Power also happens to be the only Team Penske driver who won an IndyCar race this season, with both Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin either making unforced errors or retiring due to mechanical issues.

With the season finale at Nashville on the horizon, let's look at the battle between Will Power and David Malukas for the Team Penske seat and determine the various factors that might give the edge to the two drivers over each other.

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Will Power’s 2025 IndyCar season with the Team Penske contract expiring at the end of the season

Will Power came into the 2025 IndyCar season knowing it's his last season on the current Team Penske contract. The Australian signed with Fernando Alonso's management company, A14 management, to look after the negotiations so that Power can focus on racing. Oriol Servia was assigned as the representative for the Australian driver.

NTT INDYCAR Series Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 - Source: Getty

Will Power struggled with qualifying in the first few races of the season as he failed to make it out of the first round and started outside the Top 12. However, after the first three races, the #12 Chevrolet driver found his groove, and has qualified inside the Top 12 on every weekend except for Mid-Ohio. Power made the Top 12 at the Indy 500 but was sent to the back of the grid following the attenuator scandal.

Coming into the final quarter of the season, Power stepped up his qualifying and has made the Fast 6 in the last five races. The 44-year-old also took the pole position at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 but retired on Lap 47.

Unlike his qualifying results at the start of the season, Will Power finished inside the Top 6 in the first 5 races of the season, including a podium at the Sonsio GP. The 44-year-old also went on to finish on the podium at the Synk 275 at Iowa Speedway.

Power took his and Team Penske's first win of the season at Portland, where he was able to keep Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou at bay, soaked up the pressure, and crossed the chequered flag in P1.

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David Malukas' 2025 IndyCar season with AJ Foyt Racing, a team that has a technical alliance with Team Penske

David Malukas moved to AJ Foyt Racing ahead of the 2025 season and has impressed many with his performance. Malukas has a slow start to his career at AFR, which is to be expected as he moved to a new team.

Five races into the season, with the 23-year-old finding his feet at his new team, Malukas delivered his first podium for the team at the Indy 500 after starting the race in P7. At the very next race in Detroit, the Illinois-born qualified P2.

The P4 finished at Iowa Race 2 after starting P3, and the P2 qualifying at the Milwaukee Mile 250 have been some of the other notable performances from David Malukas.

NTT INDYCAR Series Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 - Source: Getty

AFR signed a technical alliance with Team Penske when Michael Cannon was still at the team, and the same has led to them rising as one of the top midfield teams. The alliance is also one of the reasons why David Malukas is reported as a possible replacement for Will Power since Team Penske would have access to the 23-year-old’s data.

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What gives David Malukas and Will Power the edge for the 2026 Team Penske seat?

Will Power has been racing in IndyCar for two decades and has been with Penske for over a decade and a half. The Australian is arguably one of the most experienced drivers on the grid alongside Scott Dixon, and has two IndyCar championships to his name. However, Power is now 44 and arguably won't be racing for another decade.

David Malukas, on the other hand, has four years of IndyCar experience under his belt and is just 23 years old. Malukas will only get better with time, and is yet to hot his prime years. The AFR driver will also make a step in performance after moving to a big team like Penske.

Team Penske now has two choices. Either sign Will Power, who's known for performing in and out every season, and risk losing David Malukas going to a competitor. Or sign the 23-year-old and risk it, and develop Malukas as a future prospect for Roger Penske's team.