IndyCar disqualifies St. Pete Grand Prix winner, 6 weeks after race
Last month’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has a new winner after IndyCar disqualified victor Josef Newgarden on Wednesday, six weeks after the event.
Runner-up Pato O’Ward is now credited as the race winner, despite not leading a lap.
IndyCar discovered potential issues Sunday with Newgarden and his Team Penske teammates as they warmed up for the Grand Prix of Long Beach — the second points race on the schedule.
The series then reviewed the season opener in St. Petersburg and determined Team Penske “manipulated the overtake system” to let its trio illegally use the push-to-pass system on starts and restarts. IndyCar doesn’t allow cars to use that feature until they reach the alternate start-finish line on restarts.
IndyCar said Newgarden and third-place finisher Scott McLaughlin both “gained a competitive advantage” with the violation. That led the series to disqualify both from their podium finishes.
The third Penske driver, Will Power, did not gain an advantage, so he was only penalized 10 points. All three entries were fined $25,000 and must forfeit their Grand Prix prize money.
Team Penske president Tim Cindric said in a statement the team had recently tested IndyCar’s hybrid system and did not remove the push-to-pass software afterward. The team accepts the penalties.
“The integrity of the IndyCar Series championship is critical to everything we do,” series president Jay Frye said in a statement. “While the violation went undetected at St. Petersburg, IndyCar discovered the manipulation during Sunday’s warmup in Long Beach and immediately addressed it, ensuring all cars were compliant for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Beginning with this week’s race at Barber Motorsports Park, new technical inspection procedures will be in place to deter this violation.”
The series now credits O’Ward with his fifth career victory and first in St. Petersburg. The 24-year-old Mexican is a rising star in the sport for Arrow McLaren with a potential future in Formula One. Power becomes the new runnerup, and Colton Herta (a former Belleair resident) inherits the final spot on the podium.
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