IndyCar changes push to pass rules after Long Beach incident

TL;DR

IndyCar is changing its push to pass rules, allowing usage during race restarts after incidents at the Long Beach Grand Prix. This decision follows the revelation that 12 drivers utilized the boost during a recent restart.

Key points

IndyCar alters push to pass rules after Long Beach incident
Drivers can now use push to pass on restarts
12 drivers used push to pass during the Lap 61 restart
Alex Palou won the race after utilizing push to pass
Push to pass gives cars roughly 60 extra horsepower

IndyCarChip Ganassi RacingPenske RacingAlex Palou

IndyCar is altering its rules surrounding the usage of push to pass following another incident involving the horsepower boost at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Drivers will now be allowed to use push to pass on restarts, so long as the green flag has been waved and they are past the alternate start-finish line.

In the past, push to pass, which gives cars roughly 60 extra horsepower via a turbocharger boost, was not allowed on race restarts. After Long Beach, IndyCar Officiating — the new officiating group created in the wake of last year's Indy 500 controversies — revealed that 12 drivers used push to pass during the race's Lap 61 restart. IndyCar Officiating revealed that Marcus Armstrong used it to pass Santino Ferrucci on the restart, although no penalty was assessed since both drivers used it.

"When Armstrong passed me, I was a little bit confused on how he got such a good run," Ferrucci said at last week's Indy 500 open test. "So coming out of (Turn) 5, I was like, 'Well, this should be the only thing that makes sense.' So I tried it, and I saw it worked, so I just used it to defend a little bit. ... I'm not upset about it, I'm not mad about it. We were laughing that we were the only two that got called out for using it. We didn't even use it the most that lap."

Along with the rule change, IndyCar revealed that Scott McLaughlin, Nolan Siegel, Kyffin Simpson, Alex Palou, David Malukas, Graham Rahal, Romain Grosjean, Louis Foster, Felix Rosenqvist and Rinus VeeKay also used push to pass on the restart. It was used most by Rosenqvist (18.5 seconds) and Palou (15.1 seconds), who were fighting for the lead of the race. Palou took the lead after a pit stop on the restart and went on to win his third race of the season.

IndyCar Officiating, which recently named Scott Elkins as the incoming managing director of the Independent Officiating Board, announced that the burden is now on the drivers to use push to pass at permitted times. In Long Beach, a Controller Area Network (CAN) software failure caused push to pass to be made available to all drivers when it shouldn't have been. The CAN system is meant to send individual signals to cars, such as ranking, lap count and gaps, but the signals were sent out simultaneously in Long Beach, causing a push to pass shutdown, which resulted in cars not receiving the signal to disable push to pass.

Q&A

What are the new push to pass rules in IndyCar?

IndyCar now allows drivers to use push to pass on restarts, provided the green flag has been waved and they are past the alternate start-finish line.

Why did IndyCar change the push to pass rules after Long Beach?

The rule change was prompted by incidents during the Long Beach Grand Prix where multiple drivers used push to pass on a restart, leading to confusion and discussions about its regulation.

Which drivers used push to pass during the Long Beach Grand Prix?

Drivers including Marcus Armstrong, Santino Ferrucci, Scott McLaughlin, and Alex Palou used push to pass during the race, with Palou ultimately winning.

How does push to pass affect race performance in IndyCar?

Push to pass provides cars with approximately 60 extra horsepower via a turbocharger boost, enhancing their performance and competitiveness during races.