As if dropping the Indianapolis 500 was not painful sufficient, the post-race penalties that have been handed down on Monday solely added insult to harm for 3 of the top-12 finishers in Sunday’s race.
IndyCar introduced the penalties on Monday to PREMA Racing’s Callum Ilott and Andretti International teammates Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood.
Per IndyCar.com, the vehicles of Ericsson and Kirkwood have been discovered to have unapproved modifications that might have aided their aerodynamic effectivity. Ilott’s automotive failed to satisfy the minimal endplate top and site specification.
Whereas Kirkwood (sixth) and Ilott (twelfth) had strong finishes, Ericsson’s penalty solely magnified the frustration after his runner-up displaying on Sunday.
On account of the penalties, the three drivers drop to the tail of the sector within the last working order with Ericsson in thirty first, Kirkwood thirty second and Ilott thirty third. To make issues worse, every of them needed to forfeit their earnings and championship factors from the race and can now obtain the cash and factors for his or her up to date ending positions.
Every workforce was fined $100K, and the competitors managers have been issued a one-race suspension, which is able to sideline them for the upcoming race on the streets of Detroit on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
After the penalties, David Malukas is credited with a second-place end with Pato O’Ward (third), Felix Rosenqvist (fourth) and Santino Ferrucci (fifth) rounding out the highest 5.
This comes one week after Group Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Energy failed pre-qualifying inspection as a result of modified attenuators. The 2 drivers have been pressured to start out on the final row for the Indy 500, and the workforce introduced the firing of its senior management workforce just a few days later.
Whereas gasoline strain points prevented Newgarden from a three-peat and Energy was by no means in rivalry, Ericsson, Kirkwood and Ilott have been towards the entrance, which solely makes the penalties that rather more crushing.
After this Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, the NTT IndyCar Collection will enter a much-needed off-week after a busy month of Could main as much as the Indy 500. Maybe a reset is precisely what Andretti International and PREMA Racing can use after their huge penalties following the “Biggest Spectacle in Racing.”
