For Will Power, it all seemed destined.
He had won the pole for the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. Again. A lot of analysts thought he was going to win it for the third time. It was going to be smooth sailing, right?
And then it wasn’t.
After a crash in practice, Power was held out of last year’s race with concerns about a possible concussion (he didn’t have one) just before the race and had to sit and watch as Juan Pablo Montoya won for the second straight year. Only Helio Castroneves has won more often.
But Power doesn’t have a grand scheme of winning. He prefers a laid-back approach.
“I’ve just said it’s going to be what it’s going to be,” Power said. “The year I won the championship, I just did a race-by-race thing. I’ve tried everything, but I think what works is just focusing on each little bit at a time.”
Power, who has 25 wins on the circuit, still figures to be one of the men to beat in the event.
“I’m just looking forward to this season,” Power said. “I’m just doing my normal thing heading into it. I haven’t really thought about it too much. It’s been a long time since then, a lot of races since then. I’m just working through the things I need to do in order to be quick there.”
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend opens with a pair of 45-minute practices Friday, beginning at 11:15 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET. A third practice is scheduled for 10:50 a.m. Saturday, with knockout qualifying beginning at 2:55 p.m. The final warmup practice takes place at 9 a.m. Sunday, with the green flag waving for the 110-lap event on the 1.8-mile temporary street circuit at 12:30 p.m.
