After qualifying third for the this yr’s Indianapolis 500, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward met with the media to debate his robust exhibiting. However when requested concerning the technical violation involving Group Penske’s two remaining vehicles in Quick 12 qualifying, he didn’t maintain again.
IndyCar officers discovered one thing amiss with the rear attenuator on Josef Newgarden’s No. 2 Chevrolet. Will Energy’s No. 12 Chevrolet had the identical difficulty, however was already sitting within the pit lane. Penske determined to work on the vehicles, believing they might rectify the issue and nonetheless qualify with out difficulty, however that was not the case.
Ultimately, each vehicles had been pulled out of line and took no additional half in qualifying. They, together with Scott McLaughlin who crashed closely in Sunday morning apply, will share Row 4 (tenth – twelfth) on the grid. However O’Ward thinks the quick punishment ought to have been way more extreme.
Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
“They weren’t by accident doing it as a result of they’d the blowtorch proper there with a view to get it out,” stated O’Ward. “Truthfully, I really feel for [Jacob] Abel and for everyone that did the disqualifications or the final probability qualifying. These (Penske) vehicles weren’t in laws.”
Rookie Jacob Abel was the lone driver who did not qualify for the Indy 500, shedding out within the LCQ to Rinus VeeKay, Marcus Armstrong, and Marco Andretti. In the meantime, all three Penske vehicles had been quick sufficient for the Quick 12 through their efforts on Saturday.
“I am not an engineer, so I can not inform you what they had been doing, how a lot pace that it’s or whether it is any pace,” continued O’Ward. “Clearly it isn’t in regulation. The rule is fairly black and white. These vehicles ought to have been within the final probability qualifier. Like, these vehicles ought to have by no means — clearly they did not do something within the Quick 12, however they need to have been introduced into the LCQ as a result of they’d that yesterday, I assure you. Till somebody pointed it out at this time. These vehicles, in the event that they’re disqualified at this time, they need to have been disqualified yesterday.
“It is a disgrace often because they do not have to be doing that stuff. They’re an ideal group. They’ve nice drivers. Why are doing that? It is unnecessary.”
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Nick DeGroot
IndyCar
Patricio O’Ward
Arrow McLaren
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