Early Sunday morning, hours before the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix, several teams and drivers are already on the back foot after being assessed penalties.
Nolan Siegel’s No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Marcus Ericsson’s No. 28 Andretti Global Honda, and Mick Schumacher’s No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda were all assessed six-place grid penalties for unapproved engine changes.
Those three join Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet with unapproved engine grid penalties.
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It’s not unusual to see teams take penalties like this late in the season, especially because teams are only permitted to use a certain number of engines per season. But it could be an especially tough break on a circuit where whether overtaking is possible is still a bit of an unknown.
If you’re six places farther down the grid, that’s a lot more work you have to do if you want to make your way to the front.
All three of the cars assessed penalties Sunday morning have shown speed at various times this weekend. Ericsson even said Saturday that he believed overtaking would be possible.
Well, now he gets a chance to prove it.
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Sunday morning’s brief, half-hour warm-up gave teams one last chance to make sure they and their drivers were set for what is expected to be a grueling 250-mile race around the National Mall.
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While a few cars had to take to some run-off areas, the warm-up was otherwise uneventful, which will have teams breathing a sigh of relief.
Now it’s on to the race, which will get started at 1 p.m. ET, with pre-race coverage beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX.