Will Power expressed his frustration with tyres and the Indy Toronto circuit, having guided his Team Penske car to P5 in Practice 1.
Power finished P5 overall in Practice 1 at Indy Toronto, and later topped his Group 1 session with a 1:01.8. Team Penske teammates Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden were P2 and P15, respectively. FP1 at Indy Toronto proved difficult for the field, as all struggled with grip and graining issues at Exhibition Place.
Speaking to the media after the session, Power spoke at length about the difficulties of the circuit and spoke of his hope to remain in IndyCar next season.
Graining and grip proving an issue at Indy Toronto
Multiple drivers encountered grip issues during FP1, with plenty running into the escape road at Turn 8. Speaking on the green-walled Firestones, Power believes they are “too soft” for the circuit.
“At the end of the day, they’re just too soft. I think incredibly soft. Sure it will be a three-stop race unless something strange happens.” Power explained how this will also impact strategy for qualifying: “It will actually be interesting in qualifying, to be honest, what compound you use. No one’s going to use more than one set of the greens. You just don’t have enough tires.”
The Penske driver added his analysis from Thursday’s track walk to the grip debate, stating that the track looked “really dusty.” Indy Toronto will not benefit from the extra rubber of support series this weekend, as Indy NXT has a week break.
An unsettling bump at the entry of Turn 3
On top of the difficulties of Toronto’s Exhibition Place found in FP1, Power described a headache-inducing bump at the entry of Turn 3. The Australian firmly stated that the “nasty” bump needs to be altered by IndyCar.
“Massive new bump at the end of the straight into three. It actually hurts. Right in the braking zone, boom. They repaved something, the bridge used to go there. For some reason they put a strip of pavement just in that section. I think they honestly need to grind it tonight. It will hurt racing.”
On his future in IndyCar amid a tough season
Power is in his final year of his Team Penske contract, having been with the team since 2009. Having given so much to the team over his career, the two-time IndyCar Champion has rued the fortunes of his season so far. While Power was stoked with his podium finish at the Synk 275, he knows that he needs more results like that to secure a contract for next season.
“Every race, every session. It just matters, you know? Can you believe the year I’m having, in a contract year? Two engine failures in two race weekends. Just one of those things. Not bad luck. It just happens at times.
“Yeah, we’ll see. Just keep pushing. Still got five races to have great results. I’ve had great cars everywhere. We’re quick. Can only smile about it because I’ve been in the sport a long time. I just know these sort of things come round. It’s very typical of life that a bad year would play out when you’re trying to get a contract. I love it here, I do, I really hope I’m back next year.”
