IndyCar – Will Power drive the point home in Sonoma?

The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will be the final road race of the season in IndyCar, and the penultimate round of the 2014 calendar. Championship leader with 39 points ahead of his teammate at Team Penske Helio Castroneves, Will Power arrives in a position of strength in California. Plus, the driver of the Chevrolet-powered DW12 has a stat line that speaks for him in Sonoma. Over the last four seasons, Power has been invited to Victory Lane three times, and finished 2nd in 2012. Last year, he dominated the event, for his first victory in 2013. He will be the big favorite this weekend, and will perhaps be able to widen a crucial gap on the Brazilian Castroneves, with a view to obtaining his first title, despite the double points during Fontana's last race. Be careful, however, at the end of the season for the Australian, who had experienced a similar situation in 2010 and 2012, leading the championship two events from the end and finally pipped to the post by Dario Franchitti and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

simon pagenaud, currently third overall, 53 points behind Castroneves in second place, aims to get as close as possible to the two leading men, before Fontana's last race. The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver will be on favorable ground, having bagged two victories this season on the road. For Sébastien Bourdais (KV Racing), the title is not in sight, but the former driver Peugeot en Endurance could well interfere in the fight for the first places, he who remains on a victory in Toronto and a second place at Mid-Ohio during the last two road meetings.

The first tests will take place on Saturday, before the race scheduled for Sunday.