INDIANAPOLIS – After and certified on the entrance row of Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix, the drivers acquired into one other public spat over IndyCar’s and whether or not Palou was proper to apply it to a restart at April’s Grand Prix of Lengthy Seaside.
After Lengthy Seaside, Palou was one among 12 drivers who had been discovered to have illegally used push to cross on a Lap 61 restart, whereas O’Ward wasn’t. , permitting push to cross utilization after crossing the alternate start-finish line on restarts, however not firstly of the race.
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On Thursday, Palou, O’Ward and Andretti International’s Kyle Kirkwood disputed the brand new rule, which now additionally locations the burden on drivers to make use of push to cross on the proper time, is adequate and if Palou was proper to make use of it in Lengthy Seaside. Kirkwood additionally questioned whether or not Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing group and Meyer Shank Racing — who’ve a technical alliance with one another — had an “indicator” that push to cross was by accident enabled in Lengthy Seaside.
IndyCar beginning grid at Indianapolis:
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Gasoline alley the morning of the Sons Grand Prix Saturday, Could 9, 2026, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Gasoline alley the morning of the Sons Grand Prix Saturday, Could 9, 2026, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Andretti International driver Will Energy (26) prepares to get in his automotive Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
A tire truck strikes by means of gasoline alley the morning of the Sons Grand Prix Saturday, Could 9, 2026, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Workforce Penske driver Josef Newgarden (2) prepares to get in his automotive Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyffin Simpson (8) indicators autographs on his technique to pit lane Saturday, Could 9, 2026, forward of qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Massive puddles left after the qualifying rounds had been cancelled as a consequence of rain Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver Caio Collet (4) sits in his pit field Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
David Letterman walks by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal’s (15) pit field Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Andretti International driver Will Energy (26) prepares to get in his automotive Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
David Letterman sits in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal’s (15) pit field Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Photographs from qualifying for the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Workforce Penske driver Scott McLaughlin (3) sits by his pit field Saturday, Could 9, 2026, throughout qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
When requested Saturday in the event that they obtained readability on the rule prior to now two days, one other back-and-forth developed between the 2 drivers, who led the IndyCar standings in 2025.
Palou: “You had been saying it is a rule.”
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O’Ward: “The issue was that it wasn’t a rule.”
Palou: “Right, however you had been saying it was a rule.”
O’Ward: “Yeah, I believe it was extra of like a gentleman’s settlement.”
Palou: “What?”
O’Ward: “Like, come on, you knew.”
Palou: “What did I do know? That it was not enabled? Not that you would not use it, oh it is not enabled, that is it. Finish of the story, ‘gentleman’s settlement.'”
O’Ward: “No however you knew that we might solely use it…”
Palou: “No, I knew that it was not enabled, finish of the story. Whether it is enabled as a result of another person does a mistake…”
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O’Ward: “No, no, no. The rationale why individuals did not get penalized is as a result of the screw up was…”
Palou: “So there was no rule?”
O’Ward: “No, you went into the gray space and acquired away with it.”
Palou: “Gray space?”
O’Ward: “Yeah.”
Palou: “What did the rule say? It isn’t gonna be enabled on restarts.”
O’Ward: “No, the issue was the rule did not say something.”
Palou: “So it is not a gray space!”
O’Ward: “Sure! How? As a result of on the finish of the day, (it) was the identical motion that Josef (Newgarden) acquired crucified (for).”
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Palou: “It was not Josef’s fault, it was the group’s fault. If the group is dishonest, it is not due to the motive force.”
O’Ward: “What do you imply?”
Palou: “Each the drivers did nothing unsuitable.”
O’Ward: “If you recognize you are utilizing it when nobody else is utilizing it…”
Palou: “I all the time press it.”
O’Ward: “What! Why, in case it really works?”
Palou: “Sure.”
O’Ward: “I imply, perhaps that is why I am not successful races. Truthfully, the rule was not particular, that is the issue.”
Palou’s pit cease beat out Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist to take the lead earlier than the restart in Lengthy Seaside. Palou used it for 15.1 seconds, as Rosenqvist (18.5 seconds) was the lone driver to make use of it longer.
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“If Rosenqvist overtakes me and I lose a win, it’s like, ‘Oh, we’re very sorry, we’re gonna change the rule now?’” Palou stated Thursday.
Palou felt the scenario at Lengthy Seaside was totally different from the 2024 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for unlawful use of push to cross. Newgarden was stripped of a win that was given to O’Ward.
“It’s very totally different to what occurred two years in the past, the place somebody modified the code,” Palou stated. “We’re speaking about somebody not urgent the button (or) urgent the button. And it’s not on us to know if it’s lively or not.”
