IndyCar News: Pato O’Ward slams Team Penske for cheating again
During Sunday’s Indy 500 qualifying we saw the second instance in a little more than a year that Team Penske was caught cheating. Last year, it was widely-documented push-to-pass scandal.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
This year it was illegal modifications to the rear attenuator to improve airflow coming out of the underbody tunnels. The goal – to increase the downforce generated by the underbody tunnels.
During inspections before qualifying on Sunday, IndyCar officials discovered a seam on the rear attenuator had been filled, putting the #2 car in breach of the regulations. The #12 of Will Power had the same modification.
IndyCar technical delegate Kevin Blanch explained: “There was a body fit violation on that rear attenuator. So, as quick as this process happens, we ran them through tech, we got everybody in line, and then right near the end or prior to qualifying they decided that they would just pull out of line.”
It will mean that McLaughlin starts from 10th, Newgarden from 11th, and Power from 12th, which is highly questionable – more on that later.
It’s in stark contrast to last year’s effort, where the team locked out the front row.
In a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday after qualifying, Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward, who qualified third, took issue with Team Penske for what he said was a blatant violation.
“They weren’t accidentally doing it because they had the blowtorch there in order to get it out,” said O’Ward.
The Mexican sympathized with the four drivers who had to complete the Last Chance Qualifier.
Dale Coyne Racing’s Jacob Abel was knocked out of the race while Marco Andretti (Andretti Global), Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing), and Rinus Veekay (Dale Coyne Racing) scraped through.
O’Ward claimed the modification to the attenuator would have been present on the cars during qualifying a day earlier.
“I feel bad for Abel and everybody who did the last-chance qualifying,” said O’Ward.
“Those [Team Penske] cars weren’t in regulation. Those cars should have been in the last-chance qualifier … because they had that yesterday, I guarantee you.
“Until someone pointed it out today. If they were disqualified today, they should have been disqualified yesterday.
“It’s a shame. They don’t need to be doing that stuff. They’re a great team. They have great drivers. Why are you doing that? It makes no sense.”
The two illegal Penske cars, which were also illegal on Saturday, (the IndyCar inspectors turned a blind eye) so why were their times not thrown out?
Why were Newgarden and Power not forced to battle for the three last row positions?
Instead, they will start 11th and 12th respectively based on qualifying times set with illegal race cars.
This has fans upset, with some saying things like ‘the rules are applied differently when the same person owns the series (IndyCar), the racetrack (IMS), the race (the Indy 500), the team (Penske) and pays the salary of the race officials and inspectors. This is a clear conflict of interest.’
In Europe, much to their credit, the FIA is the governing body, completely separate from the race series like F1, the WEC, WRC, Formula E, etc.
And if a Penske car wins the Indy 500? Guess who will collect the lions share of the prize money? Roger Penske will essentially be paying himself.
So this begs the question, should Roger Penske do the right thing and sell Team Penske, but remain owner of the Speedway and the NTT IndyCar Series?
This would certainly remove any questions of conflict of interest.