Penske suspends four staff after double IndyCar disqualification

Penske has suspended four staff members, including team president Tim Cindric (pictured centre), after two its drivers were disqualified from the opening round of the season.

All three Penske cars were found to have run with alterations to their software which allowed their push-to-pass modes to be activated at times when they should be disabled, such as at starts and restarts.

Josef Newgarden, who won the race at St Petersburg, and team mate Scott McLaughlin who finished third, were disqualified when the breaches were discovered six weeks after the March race. Both were found to have used their push-to-pass systems outside of the approved times. Will Power, who did not use his system when he was not allowed to, was promoted to second place by their disqualifications and kept his finishing position but was given a 10-point deduction.

Penske’s IndyCar operation is owned by Roger Penske, who also owns the IndyCar series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the venue of its flagship race, the Indianapolis 500. In a statement today he announced the suspensions of four staff members as a result of the penalties.

The team’s long-standing president Cindric is among those suspended along with managing director Ron Ruzewski. Luke Mason, a number two race engineer, and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson have been given the same penalty.

All four will miss this weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix plus the signature Indy 500 event which takes place at the end of the month. Newgarden won the race for Penske last year.

In a statement, Penske said: “I recognise the magnitude of what occurred and the impact it continues to have on the sport to which I’ve dedicated so many decades.

“Everyone at Team Penske along with our fans and business partners should know that I apologise for the errors that were made and I deeply regret them.”

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