Will Power 'mentally drained' as he mounts IndyCar title challenge to Alex Palou

IndyCar star Will Power at the Grand Prix of Portland — Photo: © IMAGO

IndyCar News

Power 'mentally drained' as he mounts IndyCar title challenge

Sheona Mountford

Thursday 29 August 2024 19:00 Updated: 19:26

Will Power has revealed that he feels ‘mentally drained’ as his bid for the 2024 IndyCar title intensifies.

The 43-year-old dealt a significant blow to his rival Alex Palou after achieving a commanding victory at the Grand Prix of Portland last weekend.

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Power led 101 of the 110 laps around the Portland International Raceway which saw him finish 9.8267s ahead of championship leader Palou.

Now 54 points separate the pair in the standings, and with three races remaining Power will be looking to challenge the Spaniard to take the title.

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“He braked earlier than expected, because I braked earlier. I was going to let him lead.

Santino Ferrucci was pole-sitter in Portland

“Yeah, 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 I guess 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 tires at the beginning, that got a bit tough."

Despite controlling the majority of the race, Power revealed that he was left 'mentally drained' as he closes in on Palou.

“Yeah, man, a good day. Went green for a long time. Kind of mentally drained. I don't have that many words. But yeah, it's good stuff.”

With both Power and Palou each on two IndyCar titles, the race is on to see who can achieve a third championship as IndyCar proceeds to the next round at the Milwaukee Mile.

Mercedes IndyCar Alex Palou Will Power Santino Ferrucci Portland International Raceway