Will Power started 21st after being punished in qualifying, spun and fell to last on the first lap, and still managed to finish the Mid-Ohio GP on the podium
Will Power experienced a roller coaster of emotions this weekend at Mid-Ohio. The Australian had a fast car in his hands in qualifying, but ended up being punished for hindering Brazilian Helio Castroneves on his fast lap and started 21st. In the very first lap, things went wrong again for the Penske driver: when trying to overtake, he spun and dropped to the last position.
But making comeback races has become Power's specialty. His only win of the year came in Detroit, when he started 16th, and on Sunday (3), he once again made a great performance. Taking advantage of the restarts and yellow flags, the Australian made good overtaking moves and climbed the pack, finishing the race in third place and earning his fourth podium in the 2022 season.
"It was an incredible day for us. I said in the strategy meeting after qualifying that finishing in the top ten would be great. When the yellow came and we were 12th, I thought it was a good time and we had a good chance to finish in the top ten. We had good relays, overtaking, pit-stops, and a good strategy," Will celebrated after the Mid-Ohio GP.
"It was a good job by the team. I'm loving it, starting from the back is certainly more fun than leading straight away. But we have to get it right in qualifying, obviously this weekend it wasn't a performance issue, it was just a miscommunication," said the Penske driver.
The secret to recovery races is simple in the Australian's view. Just stay focused and avoid making mistakes to climb the grid without major difficulties. The challenge of starting further back has motivated Power, who hopes the fans are having as much fun as he is.
"You just have to stay focused in these races, you can see every week that a lot of things happen and if you don't make any mistakes, even if you don't pass anyone, you will gain positions. So you have to be smart, this is Indy, you can never, ever predict what is going to happen, even in qualifying, who could have predicted this? I'm loving it and I hope the fans are too because I don't think there is any other class in the world like this," Will concluded.
His teammate, New Zealander Scott McLaughlin, won the race after holding off the defending champion, Álex Palou. With the result, Power moved closer to the Indy's current leader, Swede Marcus Ericsson. The difference between the two is now only 20 points.
Indy returns on July 17 for the Toronto GP, with full coverage by GRANDE PRÊMIO.