"No one should be retiring Will Power early": Conor Daly sends clear message to Team Penske after Fernando Alonso-led group's IndyCar investment

IndyCar driver Conor Daly has painted a clear picture of Will Power's ever-thriving racing prowess to convince Team Penske to retain its two-time champ.

2018 Indy 500 winner Power, whose contract runs out after the 2025 season, recently made headlines after signing with A14 management, a group owned by two-time F1 champ Fernando Alonso. For Power, who conducted all contract negotiations during his career himself, this partnership was understood to be a move to get more firepower behind him during his contract negotiations with Team Penske.

Recent speculations in the IndyCar paddock revealed that the soon-to-be 44-year-old's seat could be under threat, considering his age and the presence of younger drivers like AJ Foyt Racing's David Malukas, possibly in contention for it.

Conor Daly, who has signed with Juncos Hollinger Racing for 2025, recently spoke about Power's power move, backing his rival.

"Will Power definitely, I believe, does not want to be done, and the guy is still fighting for wins and championships. Is this a sign to Penske that 'Hey, I've got real management because I deserve to be here. So I'm gonna have people in your ears every day trying to negotiate a new deal.' I believe Will Power has done nothing other than deserve a shot to continue at Penske," Daly said on his Speed Street Podcast.

The No. 78 JHR driver also brought up Team Penske potentially considering David Malukas. Nonetheless, he spoke further to strengthen Power's case.

"But having Fernando and Oriol, that group as your management, that's not a small group of people. That's an important management team. So shout-out Will for maybe getting some lawyers in the trenches and fighting for himself to stay at the top level. I think he deserves it. No one should be retiring Will Power early because that guy is still killing it out there," Daly added.

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Will Power on the key reason behind signing with Fernando Alonso's management team

NTT IndyCar Series GMR Grand Prix - Source: Getty

In addition to Fernando Alonso, IndyCar's pace car driver Oriol Servia, a former driver himself, is also an important part of A14 management. Coincidentally, Will Power and Servia were teammates at KV Racing Technology in 2008.

In a news release, Power spoke about this connection after revealing how the new partnership would help him open doors in other racing categories like the Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

"I am very excited about this partnership with Oriol, Fernando and A14 Management. They will be very beneficial with my future with IndyCar and other endeavors outside of IndyCar like the Daytona 24 Hour and LeMans, which has always been a dream of mine to compete in."

"Oriol Servia has been a longtime friend of mine and one of the best teammates l’ve ever had. Fernando Alonso is someone l’ve admired for a long time and have a huge amount of respect for all that he as accomplished. I think that the combination of Oriol and Fernando and the contacts they have couldn’t be a better fit for me."

Fernando Alonso won the 24 Hours of Daytona in the DPi class in 2019 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans consecutively in 2018 and 2019 in the LMP1 class. Will Power is the biggest signing for his management company so far.