Will Power needed just one day to close the door on his 17-year career with Team Penske with the announcement Wednesday that he will replace Colton Herta at Andretti Global next season.
The two-time IndyCar champion and former Indianapolis 500 winner will drive the No. 26 Honda for Andretti as Herta moves to Europe to be part of the debut season of the Cadillac Formula 1 team as a test driver.
“This is a whole new chapter for me,” Power said. "I have to say that sometimes a change of scenery and a fresh start is very energizing. I can’t wait.”
The decision to leave Penske was technically Power's as he grew weary of being strung along for the entire 2025 season by Roger Penske. The team refused to negotiate on an extension until after the Australian scored the first IndyCar win for the organization this season last month, and by that time he felt slighted and cornered into negotiating what would likely be a one-year deal.
He made the decision to move on to another team and found the softest landing spot possible at Andretti, which is shuffling Herta off to Europe in the hopes Herta can earn the super license he needs to be eligible to compete in F1.
Power becomes the most veteran and winningest driver at Andretti, where he will join Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood in a three-car lineup. He enters at a time new team owner Dan Towriss is trying to rebuild Andretti Global into an IndyCar powerhouse.
“I want to thank Colton Herta for all the great memories and success he brought to Andretti Global during his time with the team. We’re incredibly proud of him and wish him the best in his new F1 journey," said Jill Gregory, COO of TWG Motorsport and president of Andretti Global.
“We couldn’t think of a better driver than Will Power to fill Colton’s shoes here at Andretti and take the wheel of the No. 26 Honda. Will is a fierce competitor whose record speaks for itself. Additionally, he’s a great personality and we feel he’ll be a strong fit for the team culturally as well.”
Power brings over 20 years of record-breaking IndyCar experience to Andretti. He passed Mario Andretti as IndyCar's best qualifier with 71 poles. His 45 career victories rank fourth on the IndyCar win list. He has won at least one race a season every year but 2023, the year his wife almost died from a staph infection.
Power turns 45 at the start of the next season and is expected to be replaced by Penske in the No. 12 by 23-year-old David Malukas.
Although Power was free to sign with a team as of Monday, Penske told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his contract runs through the end of December. Team Penske plans to hold him through the duration and he won't be cleared to work for Andretti until the start of 2026.
Despite the delay in the fresh start after an anxious season of uncertainty, Power is looking forward to his next opportunity.
“I just want to say how excited I am to be joining Andretti Global. I can’t thank Dan, Jill and the team enough for this opportunity," Power said. "Colton is someone that I’ve been massively impressed with for a while. He has a lot of natural ability, and I think he’s going to do a great job over in Europe. I’m excited to watch him and will work to step in and do everyone on the 26 team proud.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting all the Andretti team and getting to work in 2026. They have some very smart people, and I know it will be enjoyable to get to winning. I’m also looking forward to driving for Honda."
The move is a blow for General Motors, which has achieved tremendous success with Power in its lineup and now loses a driver to Honda who gave Chevrolet one of its four victories this year in a 17-race season. Honda now has in its camp the winners of the last six IndyCar titles as well of two of the series' all-time greats; six-time series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing is ranked second on the career wins list.
Power a year ago won three races and was mathematically eligible for the championship at the finale. But that wasn't enough to get Penske motivated to work on an extension until Power felt so slighted he didn't want to return to the organization and suffer through the same uncertainty next year while competing in a one-year contract.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
