Five overreactions (and five that aren't) from the 2025 IndyCar season opener

David Malukas to Team Penske is a lock for 2026

Will Power has faced contract questions ever since it was determined that he would not be signing a Team Penske contract extension after the 2024 season, even after he was Alex Palou's closest championship challenger for much of the year and the fact that he won three races. His move to sign with A14 Management also raised eyebrows.

He could not have had a more disastrous start to his season, wrecking Arrow McLaren's Nolan Siegel on the opening lap and collecting Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Louis Foster in the process.

While lap one is always sketchy in the first few turns of a tight street course, you simply cannot execute with this kind of lack of awareness at this level of motorsport. Or any level, for that matter.

Then there is David Malukas, whose move to A.J. Foyt Enterprises was said to be orchestrated by Roger Penske himself; the two teams have had a technical alliance since 2023. And if you noticed Malukas' No. 4 Chevrolet on Sunday, it lacked a primary sponsor, with only the Foyt logo on the side.

Some things make you go "hmmmmm..."

Maybe there is something a little bit more to Power not doing an interview after the collision.

I think the move happens, but I don't think any decisions are final yet. So this still counts as an overreaction, but just barely; Malukas still needs to perform this year himself. Beatting teammate Santino Ferrucci in race number one was a good start.

Power has had bad races in great seasons before, and with the hybrid issues he experienced (twice) in practice, maybe it just wasn't his weekend. Penske's cars are still fast, as Josef Newgarden and polesitter Scott McLaughlin demonstrated.