David Malukas "already been signed" by Team Penske amid Will Power's uncertain future, says IndyCar insider
David Malukas has long been rumoured to be Will Power's replacement at Team Penske come 2026. Power is in the final year of his contract with the Roger Penske-owned team, and the renewal situation remains uncertain, with the team not committing to a deal yet.
Meanwhile, Malukas has been honing his race-craft with AJ Foyt Racing, with whom he inked a multi-year deal starting with the 2025 season. AJFR has a technical alliance with Team Penske, wherein it gets technical support from the IndyCar biggie.
It is similar to Red Bull and junior team VCARB's set-up in F1, with younger drivers gaining experience in the junior team before making the step up to driving for the championship contenders. David Malukas is understood to be Penske's project, with AJ Foyt Racing as the development ground.
IndyCar insider Marshall Pruett has revealed that the 23-year-old is already on a Team Penske contract and not an AJFR contract, with owner Roger Penske choosing to field him in the AJFR car. Replying to a fan's question about Malukas potentially replacing Will Power in 2026, Marshall Pruett said on his podcast named 'The Marshall Pruett Podcast:'
"He is signed to Penske, so we need to just accept this. When he might move into a Team Penske entry, that is the question. But this is not a question of 'Could David be signed and brought up to the big team?' He's already been signed."
So far in 2025, Malukas has scored only one Top 10 finish, a runner-up finish at the 109th Indy 500. Contrarily, the under-pressure Power has been Team Penske's best driver, finishing in the Top 10 in six of seven races, including a podium at the Sonsio Grand Prix.
Roger Penske has Will Power higher on the driver list than David Malukas
Will Power is the only driver who has now allowed Alex Palou to win an IndyCar championship in each of the last four seasons. He won the title in 2022, eight years after his first championship in 2014. In the lead-up to the 109th Indy 500 in May this year, Power's contract situation was in focus.
Ahead of the Indy 500 qualifying weekend on May 17-18, team owner Roger Penske addressed the contract speculation. He admitted that the negotiations were in force and told reporter Bob Pockrass:
"At the moment, we feel confident that he will be back. …He’s at the top of the list as far as what we might do next year."
Will Power is currently fifth in the IndyCar standings, with teammates Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden in eighth and 12th respectively. David Malukas, who is in 11th place, has performed well enough to match at least one Penske driver, Newgarden. Both drivers have 126 points, but Malukas sits 11th in the standings.