Alonso management move puts Power's IndyCar future in stark focus

Two-time IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power has taken on Fernando Alonso's A14 management company to help work on his future.

It's thrown up so many questions that The Race has been sent spiralling down a rabbit hole in an attempt to separate truth, desire, conspiracy theory and pure fantasy. Strap in!

Why is this such a big deal?

Power is the only driver since 2021 not named Alex Palou to have won an IndyCar title, and at Team Penske, driver contracts very rarely make their way into the final year - they're often renewed in the year before.

Power is 43, and a string of drivers before him, including Helio Castroneves, Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud have been allowed to leave or been forced out of the exit door as the team has looked to refresh or refocus its line-up. So does that mean Power is at risk?

Since David Malukas signed for AJ Foyt Racing - which has a technical tie-up Team Penske - rumour has been rife that he will replace Power sooner rather than later. That's a rumour Power is acutely aware of.

So, is Power taking steps to look elsewhere? Is he even under pressure? What does signing new management mean?

These are tough questions to answer. On the one hand, taking on new management - or any management, in Power's case - feels like a war move in negotiations. To announce it on the day Power was speaking to media in IndyCar's content days may have been pure coincidence - or it may have been a clever tactical ploy to ensure maximum discussion about Power and his future.

But one thing Power does point out makes a whole lot of sense: that "every driver has one" - a management team - and that he perhaps should've had one "a long time ago". He's right; it's extremely rare not to have one.

"I don't want to think about anything but driving," he said. "At the end of the day it's all about performance and enjoying driving and not thinking about the other stuff. That's kind of why I did that."

While Alonso's name is on the door for A14 and the company has worked with the likes of Gabriel Bortoleto to secure his Formula 1 promotion with Sauber, Power might well spend most of his time with its lead US representative, Champ Car race winner Oriol Servia. He's well entrenched in the paddock as the series' current safety car driver, but was also Power's team-mate at KV Racing in 2008. "He's been a very good friend of mine for years," added Power.

Perhaps this wouldn’t even have been 'news' if Power had simply remained with a firm he'd been with. But as this is new and comes in a contract year it prompts all sorts of questions.

There is an explanation that Power has for this that basically doesn't involve IndyCar. It's his "dream" to race in and win the Le Mans 24 Hours.

"I would love to have a shot at winning that race," he responded when asked if Le Mans was a key reason for the management signing. "I've won the Indy 500, and when I think about those sort of opportunities, someone like Fernando Alonso certainly has a lot of good contacts in Europe.

"It's a very cool event that I haven't been able to do yet. It's definitely, definitely on the radar."

But it's odd that Power would feel the need to enlist management, and Alonso with his "contacts in Europe", specifically because Power drives for Penske - which runs the factory Porsche prototype programme - and because he is one of the longest-serving General Motors drivers in IndyCar, which also fields a top-level Cadillac hypercar at Le Mans.

But given Power's achievements and standing, it's fair to suggest that he shouldn't have to beg, borrow and steal in person, himself, to get an opportunity at Le Mans. His management can focus on that while he does the driving.

Speaking of driving, Power reckons "I could be absolutely competitive for another five years if I wanted", and that's the goal he has. Doing it with Penske is also his stated aim, because "there isn't a better team in the series right now".

So that's one thing we do have: Power explicitly stating his goal is to continue in IndyCar, with Team Penske.

Ultimately, there's no indication Penske is unhappy with Power other than the fact there's no tangible deal in place yet, which in itself can't be taken as ill-feeling.

Of any team, in IndyCar but perhaps also in motorsport generally, Penske is one of the most protective over contracts, driver market dealings and the silly season. A lack of public comment is certainly not something to be surprised by.

While the drivers Penske has let go should be a warning to Power, he is the team's most recent series champion, and won three races and took seven podiums last year and proved to be Penske's best hope of beating Palou to the title.

Even if it's worried about any potential decline, there's no evidence of it right now other than last season Power, who has the most poles in IndyCar history, didn't get any.

On Power's side, he's driven for Penske since 2009 and says his goal is to say. Perhaps the length of contract Penske could provide would be a stumbling block, or perhaps the looming threat of Malukas - which, although he is clearly talented, feels premature given other younger drivers on the grid who could be tempted by Penske have achieved more - is cause for concern.

"I keep getting told that by various people," said Power, addressing the 'Malukas will replace you' rumour.

"Honestly I haven't been told anything by the team from that side of things. I'm sure there might be some truth to that, I suppose, if it's out there.

"But yeah, I do hear that. We'll see what happens. It's one of those things, huh? It's good to have someone knocking at the door."

It might not be good to have someone knocking on the door in this case. But while a five-year contract seems out of the question, surely Penske won't let Power leave at the end of 2025 after his recent performances. And Power wants to stay, so maybe this has all blown up out of nothing.

Except how this has played out doesn't feel like nothing. It's going to be a fascinating storyline to watch in 2025.