Team Penske’s Turbulent 2025: Can they return to form in 2026?
2025 was a tumultuous year for Team Penske in Indycar. A year marked by their Indy500 scandal and a dramatic downturn in on track performance. Taking just two wins across the season, one for Will Power and one for Josef Newgarden in the season finale, a rather surprising decrease from eight wins the previous season. Will Power was the highest of their drivers in the final standings, finishing ninth; despite this Power was let go at the end of the season, being replaced by David Malakus for 2026. McLaughlin and Newgarden finished tenth and twelfth respectively.
Review of a turbulent 2025 season
Penske are the second most successful team in Indycar history, with six championship wins and three star drivers. 2025 was expected to be another year of championship contention and the team started well with multiple top 5s as well as podiums across all three cars in the opening five races.
However, come the month of May, Penske’s season began with a drastic decline. During a prequalifying tech inspection for the Indy500, both Will Power and Josef Newgarden’s cars had been found with illegal rear attenuators. This lead to both cars being disqualified and made to start the 500 mile race at the back of the grid. This questioned the integrity of the team, especially as it was the team’s second scandal in as many years, after being involved in a push to pass violation in 2024.
As a team owner and the series owner, Roger Penske faced massive scrutiny, forcing him to make wholesale changes at Team Penske. Off the back of the Indy500 scandal, Penske replaced a large part of its senior management, including team president Tim Cindric. Penske hoped this could turn a new page and help the team move on from two very turbulent years.
The rest of the 2025 season was dire, with multiple finishes outside the top twenty for all three drivers, however the team did end the season with two wins and two further podiums in the last three races. The team narrowly avoided their first winless season since 1999.
Can the Team turn it around for 2026?
The team will have to prove they made the right decision in letting go of their most recent drivers champion in Will Power, especially as he moves on to a rival team in form of Andretti Global. His replacement is David Malakus, who finished eleventh in the 2025 standings for AJ Foyt and whose highlight of the year was a second place finish at the Indy500. Malakus has rebounded exceptionally since his failed move to McLaren, and has shown what he can do in a competitive car. He will have to take another significant step in order to earn his place at Penske, aiming for comparable results to teammates Newgarden and McLaughlin.
The team must not become complacent; one driver signing will not fix the problems that arose in 2025. The team fell well short of expectations this past year, and a lot must change for them to return to championship form. Penske’s new management will take time to build a winning formula. Scott McLaughlin had his worst season since his debut with Penske as the Kiwi made far too many mistakes, most notably crashing out in the formation lap of the Indy500. The former Supercar driver must return to his 2023-2024 form to help assist the team’s return to the top.
It’s been six years since Josef Newgarden last won the Indycar championship, with 2025 being his first season taking a single win since 2016. The 34 year old American, like teammate McLaughlin, must return to form from previous years in order to keep his Penske seat in what is a contract year for Newgarden. His 2025 season was marked with a lot of bad luck, most notably missing out on a third straight win at the Brickyard due to a fuel issue.
Penske must fix its management strategy in order to reinstate its public image after the last two scandals, combined with having to fix its on track performance. Although their drivers faced misfortune out of their control in 2025, the team was plagued with large amounts of mechanical issues throughout the year, stopping any driver mount a championship challenge. If the team can fix their long list of problems and McLaughlin, Newgarden and Malukas can perform on track, there is a possibility that Penske could return to championship contention in 2026. There’s no doubt ‘The Captain’, Roger Penske, will expect a turnaround from the team and if anyone holds them back they may be in the firing line.
After two seasons defined by controversy and inconsistency, 2026 offers a a clean slate for the team, and ‘gain back the credibility’ as said by Roger Penske. New management, a revised driver line up, combined with what is already a strong culture with engineering pedigree and extensive resources. Furthermore, the team can continue to adapt to the hybrid era, giving Penske an opportunity to reassert control on the Indycar championship. The team must look to emulate the dominance created by Chip Ganassi and Alex Palou.
written by Michael Williams / Media Credit: Penske Entertainment