Willpower begins to establish itself in Andretti's first test

Will Power (pictured, right) joins Andretti Global from 2026 after 16 full seasons with Team Penske.

Will Power settles in at Andretti on first try

1 day ago

Imagine how awkward it must have been for Will Power during Firestone's two-car tire test at Phoenix Raceway on Jan. 7, marking his 272nd race in 17 seasons for an NTT Series team in addition to Roger Penske's team.And today he rides a Honda for the first time since 2011.Power also has a new engineer on Andylists.

However, a cyclist knows how to jump on a bike.He rides, that's for sure.

“It’s funny how you feel like you’re out of place,” Ike said of Day 1 on the track at Andretti Global. “You go through the same process.”

Power reported no problems.In fact, he is ready for what comes next.

"We still have a lot of work to do," he said.

Due to a contract with Team Penske, Bauer is not allowed to join another team until January.About an hour after flipping the calendar, he posted a video on social media wearing Andretti Global gear.On Wednesday, he also bought a helmet, putting it in its proper place for the first time before moving up to No. 26.

Power (pictured, above) had spent a few days with Listes, a veteran Andretti Global engineer who guided Dennis Hauger to last year's INDY NXT at Firestone championship.But he admitted that it will take time to learn the names of the other members of the organization that also support Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson.

"It's normal, you know," Power said.

"You don't think about it, (but) now you have to get the steering wheel in the right place and the pedals, the padding and the basics like that."

If it was strange for Power not to be in Team Penske's Verizon colors, imagine how it must have felt for Josef Newgarden, the other driver involved in Wednesday's test.

When Power joined Team Penske in 2009 as a stand-in for Helio Castroneves during the Brazilian tax evasion trial, Newgarden competed in the British Formula Ford Championship.He was just 18 years old, and when Newgarden joined the series in 2012, Power had already won 12 races for Penske in four seasons, finishing second in the series twice.

Newgarden joined Team Penske in 2017, and he and Power were teammates for nine seasons.During that time, they won three championships and 45 races, including three Indianapolis 500s presented by Gainbridge.There is a generation of fans who know them together.They both have 10 career wins, Power fourth with 45, Newgarden 10th with 32.Both won the race last year.

Starting with the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St.Petersburg, a 100-lap race on Sunday, March 1, Power and Newgarden will once again compete as Newgarden and team owners Sarah Fisher and Ed Carpenter.Six days later, the two legends of the sport returned to Phoenix Raceway, where Power finished twice (in 2016 and 2017) and Newgarden won in 2018.

Between now and then, the two drivers, along with the rest of the NTT series, will return to the 1-mile qualifier for an open test (February 17-18).