Ferrucci is one of three drivers with a six place grid penalty. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
IndyCar has announced that three drivers will receive grid drops for the Sunday’s season finale race at Laguna Seca.
Each entry was in violation of the series’ engine use rule, which limits the number of engines that can be used over the course of the season.
Agustin Canapino was the first to receive the grid drop, with his Juncos Hollinger Racing team opting to fit a sixth engine before the race weekend got underway.
Juri Vips will also start lower than the qualified after RLL opted to change his Honda motor after Friday’s practice.
Following an engine failure in Saturday morning’s practice session that left his car smoking on the side of the track, Santino Ferrucci will also have to take a grid penalty for Sunday’s race.
All three drivers will start six positions further back than they qualified, with IndyCar’s standard engine use rules being applied in all cases.
After the penalties, Vips will line up from the 13th grid position, Ferrucci from 17th, and Canapino will line up 19th.
A few drivers will get a grid boost on account of the reordering, with Graham Rahal and Colton Herta benefitting the most.
Both drivers will jump past all three penalized men, and will start from 11th and 12th respectively despite qualifying 14th and 15th.
Engines are typically detuned by Honda and Chevy to help them last the required number of races before failure.
With each of the three penalized drivers only needing their power plant to last a single weekend, expect them to have a bit more pace than usual on the straights for Sunday’s race.
Keyword: Three drivers take grid penalties ahead of Sunday’s IndyCar season finale