Will Power is prepared to take a reactive approach to how the 2023 IndyCar season unfolds as he bids for back-to-back titles.
Power claimed a second series victory in 2022 thanks to remarkable consistency, winning just one race but finishing in the top four a total of 12 times out of 17.
He did so despite a number of qualifying shockers, such as the 16th to first effort in Detroit and the 21st to third in Mid-Ohio, which included a spin on the first racing lap proper.
However, the Team Penske driver is not about to cut loose, necessarily.
“No, it’s just about extracting the most out of every situation,” he explained.
“There’s never [a feeling that] I need to be more aggressive. The situation is always different.
“They’re always different and require a different approach. You’ve just got to get good at reading that.
“I almost had to be reminded that I won the championship,” added Power.
“Kind of just, I did it, and I know it’s just that I’m older now and moving on quickly and thinking about what’s next.
“Yeah, haven’t been on a high off-season or anything like that, I just kind of stayed even.”
The Queenslander appeared a changed man last year.
While there were still obvious moments of rage, such as his misfortune when caught out by two red flags and qualifying 16th in Toronto, he was always quick to calm down, unlike before.
“Like I said, every season flows differently, but just in general in my life, I just don’t put too much emotion into situations,” said Power. “There’s nothing to be gained from it.
“There’s just a lot of things that clicked last year within my team, the crew.
“Obviously, Dave Faustino [Race Engineer] and the new crew chief are all pretty good group, pretty good, positive group, enjoying the job.”
The first event of the season, the Grand Prix of St Petersburg, takes place this weekend, with Practice 1 on Friday at 15:00 local time/ET (Saturday 07:00 AEDT).
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