LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — IndyCar is not considering changing its policy against unapproved engine changes, even as 14 drivers will be penalized before the start of Sunday’s race at Long Beach.
IndyCar vice president of technology Will Phillips says all teams which change their engines before they are permitted will be dropped 10 spots on the starting grid. Phillips says he will not reconsider the rule simply because Chevrolet pulled the engines for all 11 of its teams.
Chevy made the change Thursday as a pre-emptive measure based on something officials found after James Hinchcliffe blew an engine during a Monday test at Sonoma.
Lotus drivers Sebastien Bourdais, Oriol Servia and Katherine Legge also have changed their engines.
The engine rule was designed as a cost-containment measure for IndyCar’s three competing engine manufacturers.
