Team Penske’s Will Power gives blunt verdict of final Indy 500 practice

Will Power reflected on the final practice session ahead of the Indy 500 event. The 44-year-old offered a candid assessment of his performance and his overall feeling ahead of the upcoming oval race.

The Team Penske driver, who alongside Josef Newgarden was disqualified from the second round of qualifying for the Indy 500, exuded optimism following the conclusion of Carb Day. During his interaction with the media, the 42-time IndyCar race winner also highlighted his crew's preparedness for race day (via Associated Press):

“As far as the engine goes, we were all good. The track changed and the wind changed, which will be different again on race day. Probably some minor changes to the car and then go.”

Will Power’s optimism and general feel about his car were evident during the session, as the veteran Australian clocked the fastest time of 224.419 MPH around the famed oval course. The 2018 Indy 500 winner, however, enters his 17th edition of the showpiece amid a wave of controversy, as he and Josef Newgarden are set to start their race at the rear of the grid following disqualification from the qualifying session of the event.

The pair had their cars in breach of technical inspection after a modification to the car’s attenuator was discovered just ahead of qualifying.

Will Power speaks on Roger Penske's decision after Indy controversy

Will Power has weighed in on Roger Penske’s decision following the attenuator controversy that marred the Penske team's qualifying at the Indy 500. The incident, which led to the disqualification of both Power and Newgarden from the session, subsequently spiraled into the dismissal of high-ranking officials within the Mooresville-based team.

Team president Tim Cindric, general manager Kyle Moyer, and IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski were relieved of their duties following the incident. Sharing his thoughts on the dismissals made by the Penske team owner, Will Power, in his interaction with the media via FOX Sports, stated:

“I feel bad for him. He’s in a very tough spot in that situation. You could tell it was heavy on him. Tough, tough for him to have to do that. I think Roger moves forward very quickly. He makes decisions. He moves forward. Doesn’t dwell on it.

“Starts looking at what is absolutely best for the team and everyone to move forward. That’s Roger. That’s why he’s so successful. He’s not going to sit and spend a month worrying about what happened. I think he’s ‘How can we fix this, and let’s move forward and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Will Power concluded.

Although Roger Penske’s recent sweeping actions serve as a message regarding his stance on integrity, it is worth noting that this is not the first time the Penske team has been caught on the wrong side of the rule book.

During the 2024 St. Petersburg Grand Prix, both Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were disqualified from the race following illegal access to the push-to-pass system at a time when the drivers should not have been able to use it.