Alex Palou, Pato O'Ward spar again over push to pass use in IndyCar

TL;DR

Alex Palou and Pato O'Ward clashed again over the use of push to pass rules in IndyCar following their front-row qualifying for the Sonsio Grand Prix. The debate stems from Palou's controversial use of the rule during a restart at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, which led to a rule change by IndyCar.

Key points

Palou and O'Ward qualified on the front row for the Sonsio Grand Prix
Palou used push to pass illegally at the Grand Prix of Long Beach
IndyCar changed push to pass rules after the Long Beach incident
Kirkwood raised questions about Palou's team's actions during the race

Mentioned in this story

IndyCarChip Ganassi RacingMeyer Shank Racing

Alex PalouPato O'WardKyle KirkwoodSonsio Grand Prix

Alex Palou, Pato O'Ward spar again over push to pass use in IndyCar

INDIANAPOLIS – After Alex Palou and Pato O'Ward qualified on the front row of Saturday's Sonsio Grand Prix, the drivers got into another public spat over IndyCar's push to pass rules and whether Palou was right to use it on a restart at April's Grand Prix of Long Beach.

After Long Beach, Palou was one of 12 drivers who were found to have illegally used push to pass on a Lap 61 restart, while O'Ward wasn't. IndyCar went on to change the rule, allowing push to pass usage after crossing the alternate start-finish line on restarts, but not at the beginning of the race.

On Thursday, Palou, O'Ward and Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood disputed the new rule, which now also places the burden on drivers to use push to pass at the right time, is sufficient and if Palou was right to use it in Long Beach. Kirkwood also questioned whether Palou's Chip Ganassi Racing team and Meyer Shank Racing — who have a technical alliance with each other — had an "indicator" that push to pass was accidentally enabled in Long Beach.

IndyCar starting grid at Indianapolis: Pole position, qualifying results, start time

Q&A

What happened between Alex Palou and Pato O'Ward regarding push to pass?

Alex Palou and Pato O'Ward had a public disagreement over Palou's use of the push to pass rule during a restart at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

What changes did IndyCar make to the push to pass rules after the Long Beach incident?

IndyCar modified the push to pass rules to allow its use after crossing the alternate start-finish line on restarts, but not at the beginning of the race.

Why did Palou's use of push to pass during the Long Beach race cause controversy?

Palou's use of push to pass during the Long Beach race was deemed illegal, leading to a debate about the appropriateness of his actions and the subsequent rule changes.

What did Kyle Kirkwood say about the push to pass situation involving Palou?

Kyle Kirkwood questioned whether Palou's team had an 'indicator' that push to pass was mistakenly enabled during the Long Beach race.