(ELKHART LAKE, WIS.) – IndyCar confirmed Saturday morning that Santino Ferrucci and Alexander Rossi have each received grid penalties for unapproved engine changes following Friday practice at Road America stemming from unrelated technical violations discovered following the Detroit and Gateway events.
Ferrucci’s penalty comes from an unapproved engine change on the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet. The team was forced to swap power units after identifying internal damage during post‑race inspection, triggering an automatic six‑position grid drop for the next road/street event. For a team already fighting to climb out of the lower midfield, the setback complicates what had been a promising start to the weekend.
Rossi, meanwhile, was penalized for exceeding the season’s allocation of hybrid energy‑storage components on the No. 20 ECR Chevrolet. ECR installed a fresh ESS unit after data flagged irregularities during Friday practice, and because the change fell outside the approved pool, Rossi will also receive a six‑spot grid penalty. The timing is especially frustrating for the 2016 Indy 500 winner, who showed competitive pace in early sessions and had been targeting a return to the top ten.
Road America’s long straights and heavy braking zones typically reward clean qualifying, making both penalties particularly costly. With overtaking possible but risky, Ferrucci and Rossi will now be forced into aggressive strategy windows — likely banking on undercuts, cautions, or alternate‑tire gambles to recover track position.
Both drivers expressed disappointment but remained focused on maximizing Sunday’s race. Ferrucci noted that the team “didn’t want to take the hit, but reliability comes first,” while Rossi emphasized that ECR “made the right call to avoid a failure during the race.”
The penalties add another layer of intrigue to a weekend already shaped by hybrid‑system adjustments, tight practice gaps, and evolving track conditions.
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