Delayed full-course caution in Indianapolis GP prompts IndyCar officials to make rule change

TL;DR

IndyCar officials will change the criteria for issuing full-course caution flags, no longer considering running order or pit windows. This decision follows criticism from Alexander Rossi after a delayed caution during the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Key points

IndyCar changes full-course caution criteria.
Running order and pit windows will no longer be considered.
The decision follows criticism from Alexander Rossi.
Safety will be the primary focus for caution flag decisions.
The Indianapolis 500 is the next major race.

Mentioned in this story

Alexander Rossi

Indianapolis Grand PrixIndianapolis 500

FILE - Alexander Rossi attends a practice session for the IndyCar Indianapolis GP auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Aug. 11, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — IndyCar officials announced Tuesday they will no longer consider the running order or the pit windows to determine when to throw a full-course caution flag. It's the second rule change officials have made since the series moved to Indianapolis for the month of May, though this one won't affect the series biggest race — the Indianapolis 500 on May 24 — since there are no local yellows on oval courses. The move comes three days after an angry Alexander Rossi criticized race officials for not immediately throwing a full-course caution when his No. 20 car stalled on the front straightaway next to a concrete wall and out of the standard racing line on Lap 21 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix. Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, eventually climbed out of the car and over the wall separating pit lane from the race track and walked to his pit stall. Race officials initially responded by throwing a local yellow to alert other drivers to the stalled car near the track's start-finish line before throwing a full-course caution on Lap 22. Series officials said Tuesday the initial decision was based on a standard set of considerations that will remain in place and two that will not — pit windows and running order — moving forward. “The Lap 21 incident on Saturday made clear there needs to be a cleaner standard for how race control moves from a local to a full course yellow,” said Raj Nair, chairman of the series' Independent Officiating Board. “IndyCar Officiating, with IndyCar’s full support, has made this change of approach to ensure that the only inputs to the full course yellow escalation are safety ones.” The decision came just hours before Rossi and 32 other drivers were to begin practice for this month's Indianapolis 500. “The most important job in race control is to ensure the safety of our drivers, crews, safety workers and fans,” IndyCar President Doug Boles said. “Saturday highlighted that we must not waver from that central mission and aligning everyone on that philosophy was critical to discuss over the last 48 hours.” \\\_ AP auto racing:

Q&A

What prompted IndyCar to change its full-course caution rules?

The rule change was prompted by an incident during the Indianapolis Grand Prix where Alexander Rossi criticized officials for delaying the caution flag after his car stalled.

How will the new full-course caution rules affect future IndyCar races?

The new rules will focus solely on safety considerations for issuing full-course cautions, eliminating the influence of running order and pit windows.

When is the next major IndyCar event after the rule change?

The next major IndyCar event is the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for May 24.

Delayed full-course caution in Indianapolis GP prompts IndyCar officials to make rule change

TL;DR

Key points

Q&A

Related Articles

'Isko sack kab karoge?': Pakistan captain Shan Masood faces massive backlash after humiliating Bangladesh defeat

PGMO to 'be vigilant' on set-piece grappling after 'clear and obvious' foul

Webb: Sesko handled ball in Man Utd vs Liverpool - but VAR couldn't disallow it

Jannik Sinner ties Novak Djokovic’s Masters 1000 win-streak record with 31st straight victory amid Italian Open run

Ranking: Who has the most playoff wins in history without All-NBA help?

What's Austin Reaves' market value? Whatever it is, he's likely worth plenty to the Lakers

More from Sports