- Team Penske drivers fined and disqualified after Long Beach race
- It was discovered that they had tampered with the push-to-power system
- Australian and New Zealand drivers caught up in scandal
Australian racer Will Power said he didn’t know Team Penske’s push-to-power system had been tampered with until after the IndyCar race in Long Beach last weekend.
He also stated that he never used the system against the rules.
Team Penske faces serious questions after the first race of the season on March 10 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Here Josef Newgarden lost his victory and Scott McLaughlin, who came third, was disqualified.
Power, who finished fourth, was not disqualified but lost 10 points and, along with the other Penske drivers, was fined $38,200.
IndyCar has not blamed Power for any rule violations, but penalized him because all three Penske cars had their systems altered after a warm-up in California.
Australian driver Will Power denies any knowledge that the Push-to-pass system is active in his vehicle.
The Australian finished the race in fourth place so he was not disqualified and has not been accused of breaking any rules.
“I was disappointed to hear about the penalty we received this week from IndyCar,” Power wrote on social media.
‘There was an oversight on the part of our team and I was not aware of the situation until we were notified after Long Beach.
“As per the rules, I did not use the P2P capabilities during any starts or restarts during the St. Petersburg race,” he continued.
“Although I accept the sanction, I want it to be known that I did nothing wrong and followed the rules.”
Team Penske claimed that the push-to-pass system on its three cars was mistakenly used in a test for new hybrid engines and was not removed before the season began.
The system remained in the cars for three races. Videos from Newgarden’s car show him using push to pass illegally during a restart.
McLaughlin admitted to using the system briefly, saying he did not change his position in the race and did so out of habit.
Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden (center) and Scott McLaughlin (right) finished first and third, but were both disqualified.
A fault in the Penske cars allowed them to use push to overtake at the start of the race and restarts, meaning McLaughlin (pictured) had his third place finish disqualified.
IndyCar rules prohibit the use of push-forward at starts and during restarts, and the button should not work at that time.
The problem was encountered in California when a failure left only the three Penske cars with the push-to-pass system. IndyCar checked, found the systems illegal and had the team fix them before the race.
Roger Penske, owner of the team, IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, told The Associated Press that he is embarrassed by the scandal.
Newgarden hasn’t talked about it yet, but he’s scheduled to hold a news conference in Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
IndyCar has not shared evidence that Newgarden cheated to win.
His disqualification took him from first to eleventh in points, impacting him just as the second season of ‘100 Days to Indy’ began, where Newgarden features prominently.
Newgarden, the reigning Indy 500 winner and two-time IndyCar champion, is one year into his contract with Penske. He is reportedly seeking a pay raise to match recent deals signed by Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward, who have earned less than Newgarden.
O’Ward was declared the winner in St. Pete after disqualifications, marking Arrow McLaren’s first win since 2022.