Two drivers were disqualified from a recent IndyCar race due to unauthorized use of push-to-pass during restarts, resulting in significant repercussions for Team Penske. Will Power, driving for Team Penske, received a 10-point penalty but retained his finish position as he didn’t utilize the system on restarts. Consequently, Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren was declared the winner, with Power moving to second and Colton Herta of Andretti Global taking third place.
IndyCar’s investigation revealed that Team Penske manipulated the push-to-pass system during the Streets of St. Petersburg race, allowing certain cars to use it on starts and restarts, contrary to regulations. This advantage was deemed a violation of the rulebook, leading to the disqualification of two Team Penske drivers who gained a competitive edge through this manipulation.
The violations came to light during the warmup session for the Grand Prix of Long Beach, prompting IndyCar to take swift action. Team Penske was found to have breached specific rules related to the push-to-pass system, which included failing to disable it during race starts and restarts as mandated by regulations.
In response to the infractions, all three Team Penske entries were fined $25,000 each and stripped of their prize money from the St. Petersburg race. IndyCar emphasized the importance of upholding the championship’s integrity and announced the implementation of new technical inspection procedures to prevent similar violations in the future.
Following the announcement of penalties, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon emerged as the championship leader, with a two-point advantage over Colton Herta. Team Penske’s President, Tim Cindric, acknowledged the oversight, stating that the push-to-pass software remained active following hybrid testing, leading to its unauthorized use during the St. Petersburg race. Cindric accepted the penalties imposed by IndyCar, emphasizing Team Penske’s commitment to complying with regulations.