Team Penske and Will Power confirmed on Tuesday what had long been expected: Power will not be back with the team for the 2026 IndyCar season, ending a 17-year stint with the organization which included 16 winning seasons, 42 race wins, including an Indy 500 win, and two championships.
Power entered the 2025 season without a contract to compete beyond its conclusion, and there was speculation all year that he would not be back behind the wheel of the No. 12 Chevrolet, especially after Roger Penske himself was said to have helped David Malukas land with the Penske-affilliated A.J. Foyt Enterprises team.
The 44-year-old Australian did lead the team in the championship standings, but ninth place was tied for his worst since he became a full-time driver in 2010, and he finished outside of the top 10 in the Indy 500, a race he won in 2018, for the sixth year in a row.
Will Power out at Team Penske
He picked up a late season win at Portland International Raceway, but the overarching belief coming out of that race weekend was that his fate had already been decided.
His final two races of the year included two unforced errors, and his 26th and 21st place finishes were his fifth and sixth finishes outside of the top 20 in 2025, marking a new career-low.
Having said that, Power is still the most recent IndyCar champion not named Alex Palou (2022), and there are still a number of seats open in the 2026 driver lineup where he could end up. One of those seats is presumably Malukas' No. 4 Chevrolet, though Malukas' move to Penske alongside Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin has not yet been confirmed.
Another one could be Andretti Global's No. 26 Honda, amid rumors that Colton Herta may be heading to Europe to pursue the Formula 1 path via a Formula 2 seat which would presumably help him to secure an FIA Super Licence.
The 2026 IndyCar season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.