McLaren boss questions rivals' integrity over shock double penalty

Zak Brown, McLaren, Abu Dhabi, 2023, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Indy 500

McLaren boss questions rivals' integrity over shock double penalty

Zak Brown has spoken out ahead of this weekend's Indy 500

Originally written by Kevin McKenna. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 20 May 2025 19:00

McLaren chief Zak Brown has questioned the integrity of a rival team after a shock double disqualification this weekend.

IndyCar fans were stunned when Team Penske had not one, but two drivers disqualified from qualifying after failing technical inspection ahead of the top-12 shootout.

Defending back-to-back race winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power were initially withdrawn from the session by Team Penske, before they were later removed from classification, thus dropping them at the back of the grid.

“What a shame this cloud will continue to hover over our great race until everything is fully resolved," Brown told The Associated Press.

Brown questions IndyCar rivals' integrity

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It's the second consecutive year in which the team have been swept up in a similar scandal, after their drivers illegally gained access to the push-to-pass system - which allows the engine power to be increased for a period of time - during the 2024 season opener at St Petersburg, with Newgarden stripped of the win as a result.

And Brown - whose Arrow McLaren team will be in action at the main event this weekend - admitted that serious questions need to be asked.

“In racing you can sometimes have mechanics who make miscalculations and you can sometimes have manufacturing issues that can all lead to honest mistakes. I don’t believe that’s what happened here or last year, which raises questions over the integrity of the decision-making within that team.”

IndyCar bosses stripped both drivers of points in qualifying, fined both teams $100,000 and suspended the team strategists - Tim Cindric and Ron Ruzewski - for the remainder of this month.

This season's Indy 500 is scheduled to be held on Sunday, May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

McLaren IndyCar Team Penske Zak Brown Will Power Josef Newgarden