Why HMS Indomitable did not reach Force Z

Why was HMS Indomitable not operating with Force Z?

Grounding, work-up and air-group delays, competing Mediterranean needs, and mistaken deterrence assumptions kept her away.

Indomitable's grounding was only part of the delay: she also had to work up, embark a new air group, and remain available for possible Mediterranean demands. British planners expected Force Z to deter Japan and did not anticipate an immediate attack on the scale that followed.