Colton Herta 'embarrassed to be associated with' Andretti Global's Indy 500 tech failures

Indianapolis Star

3 days ago

DETROIT — In the wake of his team's pair of severe post-race tech inspection infractions that led to a loss of its second- and sixth-place finishes in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 from teammates Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood, along with a pair of one-race suspensions and $200,000 in fines, Andretti Global driver Colton Herta said he believes it's good IndyCar has begun to seemingly hold a stricter line in its inspection process.
"I'd say it's pretty embarrassing to be associated with cheating. It's something we as a team take really seriously to try and fix," Herta said Friday during his bullpen media session ahead of the Detroit Grand Prix. "It's not something I want to be involved with. It's pretty embarrassing, and it sucks."
After announcing Monday afternoon following IndyCar's publication of the penalties, which came after the Nos. 27 and 28 cars were found to have modifications to the cars' Dallara-supplied Energy Management System covers and cover-to-A-arm mounting points with unapproved spacers and parts, that it had triggered IndyCar's "review" process that would follow any potential appeal, Andretti Global ultimately said Friday that it had accepted the penalties. It means team managers for the two cars in question, Josh Freund and Paul Harcus, will be absent for this weekend's on-track action.
"While we are disappointed in the outcome, we will take the necessary steps to ensure full compliance moving forward, and (we) want to thank our fans, crews and sponsors who continue to support us," the team's statement read. "Our focus now shifts to the future and delivering strong, competitive results on track, beginning this weekend with the Detroit Grand Prix."
At Monday evening's Indy 500 victory celebration, Ericsson, who 24 hours prior believed he'd finished runner-up in the 500 for the second time in three starts following his 2022 victory, told reporters he was clearly dejected but ultimately would accept whatever came of the team and IndyCar's review process in the coming days.
"It's obviously very harsh penalties, but if that's the rules, then that's the rules," he said. "We respect the integrity of the sport. The team is looking into everything right now, so we'll see, but I'm proud of myself and proud of the team and the way we raced yesterday."
Doug Boles: IndyCar working to implement partial scanning into tech inspection process
In its penalty announcement, IndyCar stated Monday that the modifications at hand were deemed to have provided the cars the capability of "enhanced aerodynamic efficiency" for both cars.
"This team is built on sportsmanship and integrity, and we'll do everything right in the future," Kirkwood said during his time on stage during the televised victory celebration. "Of course we're going to look into it, and this is obviously still very fresh for us.