Strange IndyCar decision from five months ago could haunt Will Power

As a seasoned gamer who has lived through countless thrilling races, I can say with certainty that the recent turn of events at the Milwaukee Mile was nothing short of electrifying! The nail-biting drama unfolding between Alex Palou and Will Power is reminiscent of those high-stakes final laps in a Gran Turismo championship.

Following an exhilarating afternoon at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, a series of events unfolded that saw Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing recovering from a setback and rejoining the race 15 laps in. Remarkably, this allowed him to gain a significant advantage over his main competitor, Will Power of Team Penske, by accruing 36 points during the race. As a result, Palou now leads Power by a margin of 33 points in the championship standings.

Initially, Power trailed Palou by 43 points at the start of the competition. However, during the race, Power managed to gain ground, maintaining a slight edge of three points over Palou while leading the race. This advantage came about due to the electrical problems that occurred in Palou’s No. 10 Honda before the race commenced.

However, due to a prolonged pit stop, an unsuccessful restart, followed by a spin during the next restart, Power was forced to fall behind the pace car lap, managing only to regain a 10th position at the end of the race.

Initially, Palou found himself at the back of the race in 27th position, but his No. 10 Honda managed to recover and eventually crossed the finish line in 19th place. Due to various cars dropping out, this placed him significantly closer to the lead lap, reducing a potential 46-point deficit for Power to just a 10-point advantage.

If Power hadn’t managed to save the spin and hit the wall less forcefully, Palou might already have secured a second consecutive IndyCar championship prior to the final race – a feat not achieved since 2007 until Power accomplished it last season.

But in terms of points scored on the race track itself, Palou’s 33-point lead could really be a 23-point lead.

Six and a half weeks ago at the March opener in St. Petersburg’s streets, I managed to snag a fourth-place finish, while my fellow competitor Palou came in sixth. However, the race winners Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were later disqualified because they had used their push-to-pass button during restarts when it was not permitted according to the rules.

In the new rankings, Power moved up to the second position, earning him an additional eight points for a total of 40 points. Meanwhile, Palou advanced to the fourth spot, gaining four extra points, now having a total of 32 points.

However, even though Power hadn’t technically committed a violation (using a more appropriate term), he was penalized by losing 10 points. Consequently, his total for the opening weekend was reduced to 30 points, rather than the expected 40.

During restarts, the push-to-pass system was deactivated for all other teams except on the occasion of the points race in Long Beach, six weeks later. Remarkably, due to an unexpected system failure, the system remained active for Team Penske. Although only Newgarden and McLaughlin utilized it, drivers Power and the No. 12 team were penalized because they had it activated.

It might appear unusual, but punishing Power despite him not being involved in any cheating, could be justified because IndyCar aimed to prevent a Team Penske driver from winning the championship solely due to their team’s cheating controversy.

As it turns out, that decision could prove impactful.

In this specific situation, Power increased his lead by eight points compared to Palou, who only picked up four. Essentially, Power’s teammates helped him gain a net advantage of four points. IndyCar likely didn’t want such a small margin determining the championship outcome, regardless of which driver was competing for the title.

Instead of maintaining Power’s score at 32, it actually dropped by two points, leaving him with 30. This was a decrease of 10 points from his initial 40. On the other hand, Palou saw an increase in points as he gained six over Power, thanks to the scandal.

The potential 10-point penalty could significantly impact the outcome, as it might decide whether the 43-year-old Australian or the 27-year-old Spaniard secures the title of IndyCar’s first three-time champion since Scott Dixon, a six-time champion, in 2013.

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2024-09-03 13:32

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