IndyCar Media Conference
Sunday May 20, 2018
Will Power
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: Will, first of all, congratulations, a front row start for you heading into next weekend's race. How pleased are you with your performance today?
WILL POWER: Yeah, we went out and practiced after making a big change overnight, and it was completely wrong and the car was just -- like I lost all my confidence because I was having so many moments, and so we had to go back on that and just kind of take -- return the car to the way it was, and it did. Car was pretty stuck, could have trimmed out more. There was no way I was ever going to do the speed that Ed does. Like it's just impossible.
Q. Do you ever think back and wonder if say you'd gone out in the conditions that Helio went out yesterday you might have had a better idea, been a little bit higher up into the field, which maybe would have given you guys a little different outlook, approach, platform for today, or do you just take it as it came?
WILL POWER: I mean, yeah, there's nothing you can do about -- yeah, yesterday, the conditions were very different. Yeah, it would have been better to go out at the end. There's no question. The track was a little cooler. If we would have known the time, I'd say we probably would have trimmed, just taken the risk, and you would have been like, well, that's such a big number we've got to do something. Yeah, it always helps to get information.
Q. You've appeared in every Fast Lane Shootout that they've had here at the speedway. How has participating in that changed for you through the years? More pressure, less pressure?
WILL POWER: Yeah, it just depends on how the car is. Like when it was -- yeah, last year it was just terrible because you could trim the car so much, it was so on edge. After practice today, I was pretty nervous because the car was pretty edgy, but it was pretty stuck. So you never know. But if it's a situation where the car is just stuck, it makes it more comfortable. Yeah, when you're not sure around this place, it can be really daunting.
Q. Will, you said you were just never going to be able to put the speeds up that Ed was. Can you tell us more about that and why not?
WILL POWER: Yeah, no, I don't think so. I mean, I don't know what else I could take off the car that would make a mile-an-hour. Yeah, I mean, Ed has got something good going there, and obviously doing a good job over the four laps. But yeah, I would have said two days ago for sure because I did a 29.7 by myself, and I don't know what happened. Like I kind of -- it's just a strange place like that. I don't know if it's gusts of wind or what it is. It's the smallest of details matter at that speed with the aero. Yeah, you get a five-mile-an-hour gust of wind and you're going to go pretty -- it makes a big difference. I saw that with Helio. You look at the data, his speed yesterday was all from a gust of wind on the back of the straight, or just a tower wind. That's not what made Ed fast. He had a very good car and did a great job. Yeah, we just have to focus on the race now. I think we've got very fast race cars.
Q. Speaking of which, the only thing missing from your career is an Indy 500 victory. You're real positive with the new car how it's going to drive in the race, so what's your outlook?
WILL POWER: Yeah, I think it's going to be good -- I think it'll be good racing at the front. You know, like top three will be switching positions constantly. If it's a really hot day like this, I think you'll see people spread out a bit more, but you can't help that. But at the front, there's no way, like there's such a big draft. Like no one is ever going to drive away. Like there will be the switching of leads like it always is.
Yeah, I've been through a lot of different setups, so I've got a very good idea of what makes the car work and what doesn't, how it is in big traffic, how it is in light traffic. We'll have a good think about it, get some miles tomorrow, and make the best, most tunable car during the race because you've got to be able to work on it as you go along. Obviously the wind changes, the track gets hotter and such.
THE MODERATOR: Will, congratulations. Thank you very much.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Rev #2 by #166 at 2018-05-20 22:35:00 GMT
