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[h=2]INDYCAR 2016 Driver Review: Will Power[/h] Tuesday, 01 November 2016


Marshall Pruett & Robin Miller / Images by IMS Photo

WILL POWER
NO. 12 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET

Preseason hopes: "Win the championship and the Indy 500."
2016 Best result: 1st (Detroit race two, Road America, Toronto, Pocono)
2016 Championship position: 2nd (532 points from 15 races)

Power seemed uncharacteristically cheerful about finishing second in the championship this year. Why was 2016 different to his other bridesmaid seasons?

PRUETT: I believe his health issues provided an unexpected but welcome career reset. Short on strength and endurance, Power was at a physical disadvantage for the first half of the season and it fundamentally altered his outlook on the year and what he was capable of achieving. After so many years of following the same pattern and having to search for new forms of motivation, having something different to fight through brought out a new and interesting side of Power.

MILLER: Because he no longer has the burden of bridesmaid on his resume, racing for Roger Penske seems to be more fun for the 2014 IndyCar champ. And, after missing the season-opener, finishing second was something to be proud of and smile about.

Is there a case for arguing that he drove better in 2016 than he did in his championship season?

MILLER: Oh, yeah. Even in some of those years where he won the most races and it seemed like he led every lap, Power never had a six-race stretch to match last summer's when he ran 1-1-2-1-2-1 and roared back into the championship picture.

PRUETT: I’m not sure I’d go that far. He made a lot of mistakes in qualifying, but even those “poor” performances were stellar compared to most drivers in the field. Once healthy, Power was a rocket and reeled off an amazing streak of finishing P1-1-2-1-2-1 from the second race at Detroit through Pocono. It was his most impressive stretch since his debut in 2005.

The final three races of the year saw all of that work diminished by finishes of eighth at Texas, an unnecessary 20th at Watkins Glen, and simply being out-performed by teammate and title winner Simon Pagenaud at Sonoma.

After such a rough start to his campaign, how was Power able to emerge ahead of the other Penske drivers as Pagenaud’s biggest threat?

PRUETT: Because he’s better than the others, and we will need another season or two of Power vs Pagenaud to determine if he’s the best at Penske or a close No. 2 to the Frenchman. They’re equal on titles (1) and Indy 500 wins (0), and barring something strange taking place in 2017, I expect the championship to be settled between these two.

MILLER: He's comfortable in his skin and his environment, and not worried about losing his ride or pleasing The Captain. And he's still a badass who's as fast as anyone.

Based on what you saw this year, is Power still improving as a driver?

PRUETT: Power is always learning; that’s an embedded part of his personality. His hurdles have always been of the self-imposed type. Improving consistency and focus is where Power’s greatest gains have been made and lost, and over the years at Penske, we’ve seen remarkable fluctuations in both areas. If Power can make progress, hold onto it, and gain more ground, he’ll be unstoppable.
MILLER: Absolutely. He can still pull out an amazing lap in qualifying to win a pole, but his race craft is better, more tempered. He doesn't have to lead every lap, but nobody is any better at getting to the front. And he enjoys ovals now, so he keeps improving on them.