IndyCar Open Test Tuesday Press Conference

Will Power talks about water getting into the cockpit

Drivers
Will Power, Team Penske
Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren SP

THE MODERATOR: We have Will Power from Team Penske. Let's talk about what you saw from the windscreen today, the aero screen. You had the opportunity to follow Scott McLaughlin. Interesting? Helpful?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it was. Actually, I really wish someone ran in the wet-wet so we could know where all the water gets in.

We already saw areas where the water was getting in. Seems like it needs a lip around the top because water drips in as you drive. The windscreen is great. It just clears. So, yeah, that's sort of the things we were trying to find out.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]THE MODERATOR: You had mixed temperatures, dealing with different temperatures. Any issue with fogging?

WILL POWER: No fogging for me. Obviously didn't run that long. Definitely water leaking in the bottom of the screen, up into the inside of the screen. There's some water dripping in on your steering wheel and on your visor that would be an easy fix.

Yeah, it would have been nice to run when it's really raining. A lot more water than running behind what Scott was.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Was there any kind of solvent on the windshield?
WILL POWER: No. We had some tear-offs, but nothing else. I don't know whether they put any Rain-X or anything on.

Q. Tear-offs?
WILL POWER: We don't pull them, they're on to protect it, yeah.

Q. Did you notice any differences?
WILL POWER: No. We will tomorrow if it's dry, yeah. It's just kind of putting around.

Q. Would you say the water was coming through the vents?
WILL POWER: I don't think it's through the vents. Maybe the seal. They'll look into it

THE MODERATOR: Pato O'Ward, did you actually make it on the track or on pit lane?

PATO O'WARD: We did one lap. We did one lap to try to see if we could get any heat into the brakes. But it was really tough. I guess not enough laps.

It felt like obviously it got a bit warmer than what it is when it's just sitting there, but not quite enough to really push or to get any grip into the tire. It was pretty hard.

Q. You had the chance to experience the aero screen a couple months ago. What were your impressions then? What is your opinion now?
PATO O'WARD: I was pretty impressed with it honestly because it's a first try. It is an add-on to the car. It's not like it's built into it. It was done very well. I think it was done the best way it could have been done.

I'm excited to see whenever the new car comes out how it really incorporates into a car that's developed around the aero screen or with the aero screen. But I think safety-wise obviously it's going to be safer.

Not that it's such an issue, but we'll definitely feel quite a bit of difference whenever it's hot and humid because it is quite hard to get air into the area we're at to circulate. We have to be going quite a bit faster to really feel anything.

Usually the sensation when you lift your visor and you're sweating, you would lift it to clear out the sweat or something. It didn't seem to be the case when I tested in Sebring. There's going to be some things we're going to have to work through.

I think as a first try, it was pretty remarkable.

Q. Jimmie Johnson is here. He stated interest in some road and street course racing in this series, maybe as soon as next year. You probably had a chance to talk to him.
PATO O'WARD: I think that would be pretty cool to have him.

WILL POWER: Yeah, yeah, very cool. I see him out at the go-kart track running around there. He's getting practice. But, yeah, be very good for the series.

Q. After waiting all off-season, what was today like?
WILL POWER: It was very tough.

Patricio O'Ward from Mexico

PATO O'WARD: It didn't feel like what we usually feel in the car.

WILL POWER: Yeah.

PATO O'WARD: Just sliding around everywhere.

Q. Just all the anticipation of finally getting a chance to get out there…
PATO O'WARD: I mean, all day yesterday, we were like, We get to drive tomorrow. Today we get one lap (laughter).

WILL POWER: That's about right, yeah. I mean, man, we would have liked two days later, even one day, because it might be nice tomorrow for a while, then get all day Thursday.

Yeah, a lot of sets of tires to burn up tomorrow.

PATO O'WARD: Yeah, that's nice to have.

WILL POWER: It will be a long day. Won't be a long lunch. You'll be going.

Q. Will, was it kind of strange to maybe not have Mr. Penske around the team?
WILL POWER: No, I mean, like he'd only turn up on race day anyway. All the test days, it's exactly as it was for me. Probably will be different on race day.

Q. (Question about the halo.)
PATO O'WARD: The halo, to be honest, you see around it identical to every other car that's been manufactured, like the Super Formula, the Formula 2. I guess your eyes just see around it.

Obviously, if you're thinking about it, Do I notice the halo? Obviously you'll see something. When you're in the car, the last thing you're going to think of is, I can see halo. A lot doesn't bother me. What do you think?

WILL POWER: You don't even recognize the screen. As soon as you're out there, you're focused on way up there, not right here.

PATO O'WARD: Yeah. The screen, it eliminates some of the view that you have from, like, the near sides. Anywhere like in front, kind of around where you actually usually see, there's nothing different at all, which was to me impressive.

If you think about it, it's basically bulletproof glass. You would probably think you would see, like, the picture.

WILL POWER: Distortion.

PATO O'WARD: Yeah, a bit of distortion. Not at all.

Q. It's not a concern because you have the mirrors and things like that?
PATO O'WARD: Yeah, you can see the mirrors. You can see clearly who is beside you and everything. Just like in the lower parts where it bolts on there's like less view.

WILL POWER: Yeah.

PATO O'WARD: But it's not like you're driving and you're looking there. It makes you feel a bit more enclosed, for sure. Your field of vision, everything you have to see, is perfectly clear.

Q. What is it like trying to get in the car and out of the car with the aero screen?
PATO O'WARD: It's tougher.

WILL POWER: Yeah, maybe a little tougher. I mean, you got a lot to grab onto, get out. I mean, yeah, maybe a little bit tougher, but…

PATO O'WARD: You just go through with it.

WILL POWER: You get better at it. Strengthen those muscles. I've been doing those dips.

PATO O'WARD: Josef (laughter).

Q. They're thinking of enforcing the track limits a little bit more this year than last year. How aware will you be of that when you get a chance to run here tomorrow and in the race?
WILL POWER: You get a penalty if you cross it. It will be interesting to see what they do in the race, like if you get this many chances, how that will work.

But, yeah, they've got a line cut in there now. If you trip it, your lap is not allowed. In the race, I don't know what happens.

PATO O'WARD: It's going to be quite a bit slower. I remember last year I tried it once, and the difference of speed was at least like 30, 40 miles an hour. It was quite a bit different. It was a lot.

Obviously, when you're in the car, the other one feels better. It looks ridiculous.

WILL POWER: Yeah.

PATO O'WARD: You have to follow where the track goes.

WILL POWER: Exactly, yeah. I think it's better for driving, honestly, if you have to do it.

Q. Will, this was one that stung you because you were dominating at…
WILL POWER: I know.

Q. Do you think back to that?
WILL POWER: I know, yeah. Man, I had a couple of them. I had the Barber — no, '17 or '18 with the flat tire leading easy. Then I've had here. Portland, the gearbox on the first lap, I'm on pole.

Yeah, man, you go through those ones. When you've led that much, you have one stop to go, it's very rare to you get something like that. I guess over more than a 10-year career, something like that is going to happen to you at some point. I've had my turn.

Q. (Question about braking.)
PATO O'WARD: I think you'll just understeer into the other car (laughter).

WILL POWER: It's quite a difficult corner. It's difficult to get the front to work early.

PATO O'WARD: It looks flat, but it feels like it falls off.

WILL POWER: Yeah, on the way in. It's not going to change anything, honestly. Might get a little bit harder to get closer, yeah.

Q. Update us on your push-up challenge, Will.
PATO O'WARD: Yeah, Will.

WILL POWER: We just had a push-up challenge. I told Josef, If you do 75, I'll give you 75 bucks. He did it. They weren't the best form.

Look, I can do well over 200 in a workout, but 400 straight. He said no matter what, if I ever do 400 straight, he'll give me 10 thousand bucks.

I can tell you, I'm not doing it, that won't happen. I'm not going to put up that much weight and muscle to win that when I can focus on fitness and winning the championship or 500 or races. That pays way more than the thousand.

First thing my trainer said, 10 thousand? How much do you get for a race win?

I said, With bonus and prize money, I told him it's this.

He said, Forget about the push-ups. Let's work on being fast.

In an off-season, I'm going to do it. Like next off-season, I think I'll start. The problem is, you don't want the shoulders. I'll get that thousand bucks. 400 is a lot of push-ups.

PATO O'WARD: 400 straight?

WILL POWER: Straight. That's a lot of push-ups. The way it started, I used to do 400 something push-ups in a workout. It was like running, 50, running, 50. I used to do it.

He goes, I don't believe it. There's no way in a million years you can do that.

No, I used to do that.

Legitimately we would run 1K, 50 push-ups, 1K, 50 push-ups, for 8Ks. It was a normal thing.

He didn't believe me, so I'll show him that, for sure, that you can definitely do 400.

PATO O'WARD: What is the world record, how many push-ups?

WILL POWER: 10 thousand something.

PATO O'WARD: Push-ups? In one time?

WILL POWER: I don't know if it was one time, but 10 thousand.

PATO O'WARD: No rest?

WILL POWER: I don't know what it is straight.

PATO O'WARD: No way it's more than 500 push-ups.

WILL POWER: 10 thousand is the ultimate record. Just straight?

PATO O'WARD: In a day, 10 thousand?

WILL POWER: You can easily get to 200 straight. I've seen a guy do it.

PATO O'WARD: Really?

WILL POWER: Just look up David Gobbins. He does that, 200 straight easy.

Q. 10,507 in 1977.
PATO O'WARD: In one hour, two hours, three hours?

Q. Consecutive.
WILL POWER: Consecutive, yeah. I think if you're shorter, it's way better because you don't have that long leverage, yeah? No, it is.

PATO O'WARD: Are you talking to me (laughter)?

WILL POWER: Yeah, you could probably pull it off.

PATO O'WARD: No. I can probably get somewhere around 60 or 80. I can't do 200, no way.

WILL POWER: In a workout, you could do 400: 50, 50, 50, 50. I did the other day. I was on the rower. I did, like, 30 to start, 500 meters, I did that seven times through. 30, 500, 30, 500, 200 some push-ups. You can do it in a workout. That's quite easy. To do them straight…

PATO O'WARD: I should go onboard in a workout with Will.

WILL POWER: Yeah, you should do one of my workouts, man. They're good. Josef would tell you otherwise.

PATO O'WARD: Josef is all about the power, endurance. He is pretty jacked.

WILL POWER: He's very jacked.

Q. On track schedule for tomorrow 9 to noon, three hours, then 12:30 to 6, eight and a half hours.
WILL POWER: About six and a half will be wets (laughter).

PATO O'WARD: You think?

WILL POWER: Hope not. It will be too cold. We'll get there, like today, all got ought to pit lane, We're not going to let you run. Green at 1:30, sitting in the car. It's like no.

PATO O'WARD: Have to be smashing the brakes pretty hard to get heat into it. Without it, you are going to be dancing on top of the road.

WILL POWER: Oh, yeah. That's fun.

PATO O'WARD: Did you have some moments?

WILL POWER: Yeah.

Q. (Question about the million dollar prize.)
WILL POWER: What was the prize? I thought it was going to be a million. That gearbox (laughter). More than anything, the yellow.

PATO O'WARD: Everyone has seen Will mad. You can see his eyes through his helmet.

WILL POWER: I've beaten up many a person.

PATO O'WARD: I've heard you can fight. I heard you can fight.

Q. (Question about Toronto.)
WILL POWER: He'd run away. I was like, C'mon.

THE MODERATOR: We'll see you tomorrow.