PREMA Racing IndyCar CEO Piers Phillips says the series’ newcomers have accepted the penalties assessed to the No. 90 Chevy driven by Callum Ilott from 21st to 12th place during Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Having found the left-front wing’s end plate to be too low when measured during the post-race technical inspection process, and the end plate to have been shifted out of its required location on the wing, Ilott was moved from 12th to 33rd, the team was fined $100,000, points and prize money was adjusted from 12th to 33rd for the Briton, and the team’s manager/competition manager has been suspended for this weekend’s race in Detroit.
“We’re obviously disappointed,” Phillips told RACER. “I think first and foremost, you look at the events of the quali weekend
“But obviously, when it went back through tech after the race, the left-hand side front end plate was too low, failed tech. So, disappointed, obviously, as you always are in that situation. But I also do applaud IndyCar for being consistent, because it’s not an easy situation, and it’s the biggest race in the world. We have to take our medicine and move on. That’s what we have to do.”
The same fines and penalties were assessed to Andretti Global for different infractions related to modifying the carbon fiber suspension A-arm covers that enshroud the tethers used to hold the uprights and wheels on the cars in the event of a suspension-breaking incident.
According to IndyCar, the suspension mounting points for the covers were also modified, and both were listed as having the ability to provide an aerodynamic advantage. Reached for comment on Tuesday, the series, and the Andretti team, were unwilling to speak until later in the week, at the earliest.
Phillips didn’t hesitate to speak, however, owing to PREMA’s decision to accept IndyCar’s ruling. RACER understands the series’ and Andretti’s extended timel ine to discuss the details of the matter and for the series to answer a range of questions in the same manner it took with the Team Penske qualifying infractions, is related to waiting for Andretti’s window of appeal to be completed.
Between the sorrow of losing PREMA’s run to 12th with Ilott and the struggles experienced by polesitter Robert Shwartzman, who crashed into the pit wall and injured some of his crew members and retired from the race, Phillips says he’s been impressed with the spirit that remains within the team.
“I always think that you can judge a team by its strengths when they have a challenging weekend, and how they absorb that, and how they move forward,” he said. “And, you know, there was four guys and girls that got injured in the pits with Rob’s incident, and how everyone’s come together to reach out and support them; ‘Hey, what do you need?’ It’s really bonded us even tighter over that and just shows you what we’ve achieved as a culture.”
Phillips also updated the post-race quote from Shwartzman in PREMA’s press release, which said, “As I came into the box both my front tires locked up and the car went into the wall and some of the crew. Thankfully everyone is okay though,” and confirmed a few of the No. 83 Chevy crew will need time to heal.
“One of the guys, Spence [Hall], who’s the fueler, he’s got some broken bones in his foot, so he’s going to be out for a few weeks,” he said. “There’s a couple of the others, they’re at the shop, but they’re limping or you can see they’re in big pain. They want to come to work and want to be part of the effort to get to Detroit. But they’ll be rested for that weekend. We’ll probably have three or four new faces, just as fly-ins, just to help us get through this next weekend.”
Meanwhile, with questions having been raised in recent weeks regarding the financial health of PREMA’s IndyCar program, Phillips dismissed the speculation.
