P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Josef Newgarden has been stripped of victory in the opening round of the IndyCar season in St Petersburg and disqualified, handing Pato O’Ward a first series victory since 2022
Josef Newgarden was stripped of his victory in the opening round of the IndyCar season in St. Petersburg and disqualified, handing Pato O’Ward his first series victory since 2022. Newgarden and his team-mate Scott McLaughlin were disqualified for using push-to-pass on restarts, violating IndyCar rules. The push-to-pass software was not changed on the Penske cars from a previous test, leading to the issue. Will Power was docked 10 points but not disqualified for not using push-to-pass on a restart. The new St. Petersburg race result has O’Ward in first place, followed by Power, Herta, Palou, and Rosenqvist. New championship points show Dixon in the lead, with Newgarden plummeting to 11th place. Team Penske accepted the penalties, including fines and forfeiting prize money. IndyCar will implement a new inspection protocol at Barber to prevent similar incidents in the future.
