In 2023, Power signed a deal with Team Penske to take him through to the end of 2025. However, the Australian wanted to extend his contract.
Power was promised by former Team Penske president Tim Cindric that they would revisit his contract at the end of the 2024 season, which ultimately never happened.
Speaking with James Hinchcliffe and Alexander Rossi on their podcast Off Track, Power said he let that simmer and his frustrations grew amid radio silence.
“I know when I signed my last contract I did go back to Tim Cindric and say, ‘Hey, I would like to do three years,’ and he said, ‘We’ll talk at the end of ‘24 and if you’re still performing and still doing well, we’ll keep going’,” Power explained.
“I won three races in ‘24. I was the only driver that went into the last race with a shot to win the championship against (Alex) Palou. At that point, I was like, ‘Well, I’m sure they’re going to speak to me in the off-season,’ and it never happened. They never actually said a word.
“I was pissed off, going into May about it. I was pissed off going into the season about it. I was pissed off that they weren’t going to say anything. That’s true.
“Roger (Penske) wasn’t aware when I said that to him, something along the lines of that that was even the case. Maybe I should have just called Roger.
“I just thought, what driver in the field wouldn’t be signed after winning three races? The champion won two. That’s Palou. I won three. Come on.”
At the end of the 2025 season, Power was offered a one-year extension on his current deal, which he declined.
He conceded that it may have been different had he not been left in the lurch for so long.
“It’s true, in May I would have taken a one-year deal, no problem,” he said.
“Then even as it dragged on, man I just thought… I said to my engineer, I know if I turn up next year I’m going to be an absolute championship contender.
“I want to say the time where I just said ‘nup, it’s done’ was after I won Portland. It’s done. I think it’s time to change. I think that was when in my mind I decided I was sick of all the questions.”
After winning in Portland, he was asked to fly to Detroit to join Penske and discuss his future. Power declined and the wheels were set in motion for a switch.
It became clear midway through the 2025 season that Power’s place at Team Penske was in doubt.
Although his contract precluded him from signing a deal before September 1, Penske gave the #12 driver permission in June to begin fielding interest from other teams.
Power said he had “a lot of options” and the one he went after was at Andretti Global.
TWG Motorsports boss Dan Towriss revealed the Australian sought him out to express his interest in driving for the team, despite there being no vacancy at the time.
Colton Herta’s switch to F1 with Cadillac ultimately opened the door for Power.
“Roger had given Will permission to talk to other teams and see what’s out there. Will came up to me and said ‘I want to drive for you’,” Towriss revealed.
“I said, Well, I’ve got three drivers under contract, but I’ve got something in my head, let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.
“It was really right at that time I had been thinking about taking that next step [to Formula 1] with Colton.”
Power explained the rationale behind wanting to join the Andretti fold under the stewardship of Towriss.
“It was just that I think it was their ability to be able to make big changes, the budget, there’s just many, many reasons that went into it,” Power said.
“It’s never just straightforward simple. A lot of smart people work at Andretti. They are a very good team. They won three races this year. I think Honda has been very strong this year.
“The first time I ever talked to Dan, I just thought that he was a very intelligent guy and he was very aware of what needed to change within his team, which is sometimes unusual I’d say for a guy in his position who is not there, day-to-day but really understood, ‘I know these are things that have got to change at our team’.
“He was very determined to make all of that happen. It was just many things. It was the right time. I knew in my gut. When you get to my age, you just know. You know when it’s time to make a change and that’s was my feeling from the outset.”
As for Power’s long-term future, the deal he signed with Andretti is a multi-year agreement.
Reflecting on his career, the Toowoomba-born driver said he’s got a lot left in the tank.
“Let’s check in in three years time, but I would say in five years you could still be very competitive as long as you don’t slack off in any way,” he said.
“I just think the experience counts for a lot. You could do nothing in the off-season, turn up and be pretty bloody good straight away.
“It’s like everything in life, it’s how much you put into it and what you get out of it. I’ve got quicker, that’s what I’ll tell you. I haven’t got slower.”
Decision made. pic.twitter.com/5hLqlQF0Jh
— Andretti INDYCAR & INDY NXT (@AndrettiIndy) September 3, 2025
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