Will Power predicts very tight IndyCar title fight in 2013

Power lost last year's title to Andretti's Ryan Hunter-Reay after crashing in the final round at Fontana, leaving him to finish runner-up in the standings for the third year in a row.

IndyCar 2013 season guide

The Australian topped all four sessions in last week's open test at Barber, and while he said that his pace was encouraging, he is aware of the threat presented by his rivals.

"Testing went well at Barber," he said. "I think Andretti (Autosport) was pretty much as quick as we were.

"I was fortunate to get out for the last four laps of the day when it was cool and I was on new tyres. I used the push-to-pass and all the tools and got a pretty mega lap in.

"I hope Honda was not sandbagging too much, but I could see that the Andretti guys are definitely competitive. It will be a normal year (for the series), really tough, and hopefully, I'll keep doing my normal thing."

Power won the St Petersburg event in 2010, and has never finished outside the top 10 at the Florida street circuit.

"It's a street course, and I just enjoy it really," he said. "There's nothing that I would say suits me more than any other track.

"I go there and I always have fun. That's the main thing. I couldn't even tell you why."