Will Power was left exhausted after delivering a commanding drive to win Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland to inch closer to championship leader Alex Palou.
Power put in a sublime performance to lead 101 of the 110 laps, finishing 9.8s ahead of Chip Ganassi's Palou. Having only lost his control at the front through pit cycles, the nearest anyone really got to the No. 12 Penske was at the start when polesitter Santino Ferrucci was overtaken into Turn 1.
Although Palou tried his best to apply pressure on the 43-year-old Australian, he wasn’t able to overcome a less-favourable tyre strategy of three stints on the harder primary compound versus the preferred softer alternates.
When reflecting on the win, a visibly tired Power noted the early start alongside Ferrucci, who is a pseudo team-mate due to the technical alliance shared between Team Penske and AJ Foyt Racing.
“Turn 1, Santino and I talked about the start, he was not going to block or anything,” said Power.
“He broke earlier than expected because I broke earlier. I was going to let him lead. He's a good teammate, very fair. I have to thank him for helping me out there.
"But yes, from there it was a pretty straightforward race of playing the game with in and out laps against Palou. I think we definitely had a better car on reds [alternates]. We could pull a good gap. I think black tyres at the beginning, that got a bit tough.
“[The race] went green for a long time. Kind of mentally drained."
Returning to championship form
The victory at Portland was two-time series champion Power's third of the season and 44th of his career - a result that elevated him into second in the title race, 54 points behind defending champion Palou with three races to go.
Having earned three wins in a single season for the first time since 2018, when asked by Autosport what has made the difference to return to that level of form, Power replied: “It's never just one thing, to be honest.
“I think Chevy made a gain last year. Just with that, you've got more chance to qualify in the top six. Qualify in the top six, you certainly have more chance of a win.
“If I look at 2022, there were a lot of races where I went from 16th to third, got a lot of podiums, a lot of second places. Had I qualified slightly better, those potentially could have been wins. It's just putting yourself in that position, having the car.
“You are constantly working on that stuff. One year you're a little conservative. Next year you see Palou win with a bit more aggression, so you become a bit more aggressive. I never stop digging and looking. I actually came into this season with the mindset I must win multiple races. It's been a long time since I have. Basically, a lot of factors that go into it.”
But on whether there were any adjustments to his racecraft compared to the past, he insisted: "No, I race pretty similar.
“A couple mistakes this year that I really reflect on that are uncharacteristic of the year. I have the same mentality. I'm very calm in the car always. Rarely do I get flustered or say something on the radio. I'm less calm out of the car if something happens, but...
“You just change small things. Built this big toolbox of skills over the years, worked on the mental aspect a lot, which just comes with age, to be honest. No particular thing.
“You have your goals coming into a season, but you are just walking that tightrope of aggression versus consistency. If you look at (Scott) Dixon, 99% of the time he will not go for a move that's sort of in a 50/50. He will weigh on the cautious side. That's won him championships. Palou is further to the aggressive [side] but he walks that tightrope of aggression versus reward really well.
“I'm always playing on that one side or the other. '22 I was too conservative. '23 I had a bad year. This year maybe I'm a little bit over-aggressive at times but that's the game you play. You have got to hit that sweet spot. It's tough.”
