IndyCar stewards respond to Rossi criticism over penalty
The NTT IndyCar Series stewards have explained why they penalized Alexander Rossi during Race 1 of the Harvest Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
On Lap 44, Race Control issued a “yield position” penalty to Rossi after he passed Scott Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda around the outside of the right-hander onto the back straight on Lap 43. In doing so, he dropped two wheels onto the run-off area to complete the pass, which is against the rules (see diagram below).
The Andretti Autosport-Honda driver, who went on to finish second, was left annoyed by the penalty as he believed that by also having to drop behind backmarkers, he lost an opportunity to at least tackle Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden for the win.
However, the stewards contacted Motorsport.com, stating: “Alex needs to read the rule book and pay attention at the pre-race drivers meeting… He went out of bounds to gain the position. That’s the point of the penalty. If he goes out there by himself, nothing likely happens.
“Then the team argued it’s only a penalty when four wheels go over. By arguing, they gave up valuable time to serve the penalty.
“The picture explains the rule and this was part of the drivers’ meeting presentation which is sent to team managers prior to weekend.
“That part to the left of the line is not considered race track because it is bumpy and not properly surfaced. The line ends at the curb where, if a driver was on the left of line, he’d be launched by the curb.
“We issued a penalty to Simon Pagenaud earlier for passing there and we did the same to Sage Karam in the GP of Indianapolis in July.”
IndyCar rulebook: IMS road course turn 6 rule
Photo by: IndyCar
Previous article
Newgarden still needs “perfect days” to win third championship
Next article
Penske reveals next steps in ‘Race for Equality & Change’
About this article
| Series | IndyCar |
| Event | Grand Prix of Indianapolis Race 2 |
| Drivers | Alexander Rossi |
| Teams | Andretti Autosport |
| Author | David Malsher-Lopez |
IndyCar: Romain Grosjean tests the car
IndyCar Rookie of the Year: Rinus Veekay
IndyCar: Scott McLaughlin's rookie testing
Is Arrow McLaren SP ready for IndyCar’s title fight?
With Patricio O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist leading its line-up, 2021 could be the year Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet joins the IndyCar elite, writes David Malsher-Lopez.
Dale Coyne picks the Top 10 drivers in his giant-slaying team
Over 37 seasons, Dale Coyne has run no fewer than 80 Indy car drivers – including himself! Ahead of his first season running Romain Grosjean, we asked Coyne to pick the best 10 drivers ever to compete for him. By David Malsher-Lopez.
Why enigmatic Marco Andretti will be missed
Last Friday, Marco Andretti announced he is withdrawing from fulltime IndyCar racing. David Malsher-Lopez explains how this third-gen racer was a puzzle in the car, but a straight shooter off-track.
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Is the mighty McLaren M16 the greatest ever Indy car?
When founder Bruce McLaren died in June 1970, his team could have folded. Instead, his loyal band rallied to produce a string of winners - including an Indy car game-changer that won three Indy 500s in six years.
How Newgarden delivered his best season, yet still lost
Josef Newgarden was our pick as top IndyCar driver of 2020 but his finest season-long run of performances failed to yield the championship. David Malsher-Lopez explains why.
2020 IndyCar Review and Top 10 drivers of the year
David Malsher-Lopez explains how the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series was unlike any other, and why it featured familiar and unfamiliar faces competing for glory.
How Dixon won his sixth IndyCar title, in his own words
Chip Ganassi Racing’s newly crowned six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon takes us round by round through his remarkable season. David Malsher-Lopez listens.
