IndyCar changes full course yellow guidelines after Alexander Rossi incident at Sonsio Grand Prix

Yahoo Sports2h ago14 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

IndyCar has revised its full course yellow guidelines following Alexander Rossi's incident at the Sonsio Grand Prix. The new rules will no longer consider pit windows or running orders when deciding on caution deployments.

Key points

IndyCar changed full course yellow guidelines
Change follows Alexander Rossi's incident at Sonsio Grand Prix
New rules disregard pit windows and running orders
Rossi's car stalled at the start-finish line
Delay in caution deployment frustrated Rossi

Mentioned in this story

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Ed Carpenter RacingAlexander RossiSonsio Grand Prix

IndyCar changes full course yellow guidelines after Alexander Rossi incident at Sonsio Grand Prix

IndyCar Officiating has again made a post-race rule change following a controversial ruling during a race. IndyCar Officiating will no longer take pit windows and the running orders of cars into consideration when deciding whether to deploy a full-course yellow on cautions.

The ruling is a reaction to Saturday's Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Ed Carpenter Racing's Alexander Rossi's No. 20 Chevrolet stalled at the start-finish line due to a hybrid failure. As Rossi sat in his powerless car on Lap 21, IndyCar race control decided to only deploy a local yellow while keeping the rest of the IMS road course hot. When Rossi exited the car and hopped over the pit lane wall, race control was forced to escalate it to a full-course caution.

"The fact that it took that long to throw a full-course yellow, when a car's on the front straight and people are going by at 170 miles an hour, also seems insane, when they don't let us drive in the wet yesterday," Rossi said on Fox. "So, I don't really know where the priorities lie. So pretty frustrated."

Crews tend to Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon (9) and A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver Caio Collet (4) in the first turn Saturday, May 9, 2026, during the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Q&A

What changes did IndyCar make to yellow flag rules after the Sonsio Grand Prix?

IndyCar will no longer consider pit windows and the running orders of cars when deciding whether to deploy a full-course yellow.

What incident prompted the rule change in IndyCar's yellow flag guidelines?

The rule change was prompted by Alexander Rossi's car stalling at the start-finish line during the Sonsio Grand Prix.

How did Alexander Rossi react to the handling of his incident during the race?

Rossi expressed frustration over the delay in deploying a full-course yellow while his car was on the front straight, questioning the priorities of race control.

What was the timing of the incident involving Alexander Rossi during the Sonsio Grand Prix?

The incident occurred on Lap 21 of the Sonsio Grand Prix when Rossi's No. 20 Chevrolet stalled due to a hybrid failure.