Scott McLaughlin, a driver for Team Penske in the IndyCar series, had his podium position revoked due to a penalty imposed on Wednesday. The penalty was a result of McLaughlin using his Push to Pass system at an unauthorized time during the race in St. Petersburg on March 10. As a consequence, he lost all the points and prize money earned in the race. Following the announcement of the penalty, McLaughlin took to social media to address the situation and took responsibility for his actions. However, he emphasized that he did not gain any advantage by using the boost system.
In his statement, McLaughlin expressed pride in being a member of Team Penske and stood in solidarity with his teammates. He acknowledged his mistake and stressed the importance of maintaining his own reputation and that of the team. McLaughlin explained that he was not aware of the issue with the software and used the Push to Pass system for a very brief period in a section of the track where it is normally used throughout the race. He clarified that he did not overtake any cars or gain any time advantage. The data available to IndyCar confirms this information. Although McLaughlin accepted the penalty, he wanted to make it clear that he did not gain an unfair advantage over his competitors. He expressed his respect for the competitiveness of IndyCar and his commitment to achieving success honestly. McLaughlin concluded by stating that he and the team will move forward and focus on the next race at Barber.
The incident in question occurred at Turn 9, which leads to a 1,800-foot stretch on Bayshore Drive, ending in a sharp left turn. It is common for drivers to use the Push to Pass system at the start of this straight during races. The designated start-finish line to activate the Push to Pass system on the first lap of a restart was located after Turn 12, just before the final elbow turn. Both McLaughlin and his teammate Josef Newgarden were disqualified for using the Push to Pass system during a period when it was not allowed, giving them a competitive advantage. Another driver, Will Power, received a less severe penalty as he did not actively use the system at an inappropriate time, although his car was set up to allow it. The infractions were discovered nearly seven weeks after the race, but IndyCar still decided to impose severe penalties on the entire team. Moving forward, race officials will conduct additional checks at Barber Motorsports Park to ensure the proper functioning of all cars’ Push to Pass systems.
