IndyCar to change engine penalty?
IndyCar this season added Chevrolet and Lotus to the series, marking the first time in seven seasons Honda has manufacturer competition. To control costs – as an enticement for the new manufacturers – IndyCar instituted strict rules on engine changes.
An unapproved engine change currently costs a team 10 spots on the starting grid, and many have wondered if the penalty should instead be levied against the manufacturer.
''Can you take it away and put more on the engine manufacturers? I don't know,'' Bernard said before the race at Edmonton. ''Those are things we'll sit down at the end of this year and make assessments on. We'll sit down with the engine manufacturers and the teams and try to come up with a better solution, if there is one.''
Under the rules set this season, and according to Bernard requested by the manufacturers, teams are not allowed to change engines before they've run 1,850 miles. Any changes before the mileage mark are penalized, even if an engine fails during a test session.
Teams are also only allowed five engines per season, and every engine change after the fifth incurs a penalty. However almost every driver has now exceeded their limit of five and engine changes are rampant. Apparently Chevy and Honda cannot build an engine to last 1,850 miles and still win races, and they are in it to win.
F1 has a 5-grid penalty for an engine change and NASCAR you start last.