Josef Newgarden’s victory in the first race of the IndyCar season at St. Petersburg was canceled on Wednesday because Team Penske tampered with its push-to-pass system during the race. This decision made Pato O’Ward the new winner, who originally finished second.
Scott McLaughlin, another Penske teammate who came in third, also faced disqualification. Will Power, the third Penske driver, had 10 points deducted. Furthermore, all three teams were fined $25,000 each and will lose all prize money from the race.
IndyCar President Jay Frye emphasized the importance of upholding the championship’s integrity. While the manipulation went unnoticed in St. Petersburg, it was discovered during the warm-up in Long Beach, prompting immediate action to ensure compliance for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Starting from the next race at Barber Motorsports Park, new inspection procedures will be implemented to prevent such violations.
With the disqualification, Newgarden, a two-time IndyCar champion, and the current Indianapolis 500 winner, dropped from first place in points to 11th, affecting his contract year with Penske.
An examination of the St. Petersburg race data revealed that Team Penske altered the overtake system so that their three drivers could use push-to-pass during starts and restarts. According to IndyCar regulations, the overtake feature should only be available after the car passes the alternate start-finish line.
Tim Cindric, President of Team Penske, stated that the push-to-pass software was not removed after hybrid testing in the Penske Indy cars, as required.
This software allowed push-to-pass to be activated during restarts at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, which violated IndyCar rules. Josef Newgarden in car No. 2 and Scott McLaughlin in car No. 3 used push-to-pass during a restart, leading to the penalties imposed by IndyCar, which Team Penske accepted.
