IndyCar handed out disciplinary motion and stripped Josef Newgarden of his season-opening win after officers discovered proof of illegally utilizing the push-to-pass system on restarts.
Scott McLaughlin, Newgarden’s team-mate who completed third, was additionally disqualified for related actions.
The end result promoted Pato O’Ward because the race winner 45 days after the occasion, amassing the fifth victory of his profession and first for the reason that second act of the Iowa doubleheader in 2022.
The third Crew Penske entry of Will Energy obtained a 10-point penalty however was not stripped of his end as his automotive was able to utilizing it at begins and restarts, however he didn’t use it. He was elevated to second after the disqualification of his team-mates, whereas Andretti World’s Colton Herta was moved as much as third.
The victory is Ward’s first since he started overseeing McLaren’s IndyCar program in 2023 (beneath his former title as racing director). His maiden marketing campaign within the function noticed the group end runner-up 5 occasions, together with 4 with O’Ward.
“I hoped to have a good time this primary one for me somewhat bit completely different method down in Victory Lane with all our group however on the finish of the day, once you win, you win,” he mentioned.
“So, we’ll get pleasure from this.”
Patricio O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, leads Scott McLaughlin, Crew Penske Chevrolet
Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Photographs
Ward was promoted to his present function following a short stint serving because the director of trackside engineering after coming over from Crew Penske in June 2022.
His profession started as an intern with Crimson Bull Racing, Ward rapidly progressed by way of the ranks to tackle numerous roles on the System 1 group together with trackside management methods and race engineer earlier than transitioning to the aerodynamics division.
Throughout his 12 years with Crimson Bull, the group captured 50 victories, together with three Monaco GP wins, together with claiming each the drivers’ and constructors’ titles 4 occasions.
He moved to IndyCar with Crew Penske in 2018, with a close to five-year run that included – satirically – guiding Newgarden to the 2019 title and ending because the championship runner-up in 2020 and 2021.
Josef Newgarden, Crew Penske Chevrolet, Gavin Ward, engineer
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Photographs
Though the victory is one thing Ward would somewhat have celebrated correctly in St. Petersburg, he takes it with the idea there shall be extra probabilities because the 2024 season continues.
“It’s superior to get a win and a extremely robust end result only for the quantity of effort this group places in,” added Ward, 39.
“This group is simply stuffed with an unbelievable group of characters, they usually have been grinding so exhausting to attempt to get outcomes like this. I feel it’s the primary of many, hopefully, for me on this function because the group principal.”
