A gut-wrenching seatbelt failure denied Will Power the chance to fight for a third IndyCar championship during the 2024 Music City Grand Prix decider.
The Kiwi had fought hard to remain in the picture for the title and was forced to spend most of the race laps behind his rivals after an early failure.
It came back toward the end of the race, spelling the end of his hopes – leaving him to think what could have been.
In the end, he didn’t even receive the satisfaction of finishing as runner-up, sliding to fourth in the standings behind Colton Herta and teammate Scott McLaughlin.
Will Power ‘very disappointed’ with how title fight unfolded
Power wasn’t considered to be Alex Palou’s main rival for the championship at the start of the season, having failed to win a race for two years.
But he bounced back with three victories within two months and reminded everyone of why he is a multiple champion in the series.
Speaking to James Hinchcliffe in a Season In Review video for IndyCar, Power digressed how he felt after losing out on the silverware.
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“It was a great year, very disappointed at the end. 10th in Milwaukee when we had the potential to win, [Nashville] had a bad run. I still think about that one, it’s disappointing that the seatbelt [broke].
“Through your career, you go really experience every single value that could happen and I got the seatbelt one. It happened twice actually. After the second time, I was like man, I probably shouldn’t be out here.”
Can Power bounce back in 2025?
Power races for what is arguably the best IndyCar team on the grid – Team Penske, who achieve race victories every season.
They’re bound to give him a car capable of fighting for the championship again in the future, but the main question mark is on the Kiwi himself.
To beat Palou, he has to match him first.
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Speed isn’t an issue, but consistency is, and eliminating mistakes and silly incidents like the ones he suffered at Gateway and Milwaukee could be the key.
He also has two rapid teammates who are tough competitors and will give him a tough time in 2025, especially on ovals.
Both McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden are two of the best in the business and are expected to fight for the title alongside Power again soon.