The No. 14 Chevy of Santino Ferrucci and A.J. Foyt Racing was found to be under the required driver ballast weight following the team’s runner-up finish at Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix, IndyCar announced Monday. Though Ferrucci and the No. 14 entry will be allowed to keep its runner-up finish, the entry has been fined $25,000 and has been docked both 25 entrant and driver points, as well as the bonus point for leading a lap.
The No. 14 is also ineligible for engine points for Chevy, as well as prize money related to its runner-up finish.
In IndyCar, if a driver doesn’t weigh 185 pounds, extra weight (termed ballast) is added to the car to equal that 185-pound threshold, in order to best level the playing field in terms of the car’s race weight to not allow for significant advantages for drivers being lighter (unless they’re around the 185-pound threshold). During post-race inspection of the No. 14 after the race, IndyCar discovered that the driver ballast required to bring the weight of Ferrucci and the ballast to 185 pounds was underweight and not within the weight tolerance of up to one pound.
The car itself, though, was found to have been 10 pounds over the 1,785-pound minimum weight from road and street courses and competed over the minimum weight requirement during the race, IndyCar said in its Monday release.
The series found the No. 14 in violation of the following:
Rule 14.4.2. Driver Equivalency Weight
Following IndyCar’s announcement of the penalty, AJ Foyt Racing released this statement:
“We acknowledge and accept the penalty issud for being 1.8 pounds under the required driver ballast weight. This was an unintntional oversight, and we take full responsibility for the mistake. Our car was, in fact, 10 pounds over the minimum total weight, and the discrepancy was not intended to gain a competitive advantage.
“However, we recognize that compliance with every rule is critical to ensuring fairness in this sport, no matter how minor the deviation may seem. We are working closely with our technical team to strengthen our processes and ensure this does not happen again.
“We’re grateful for the passion and integrity of IndyCar, and while this situation is disappointing, we respect the rules that kep our competition honest and safe. Most importantly, we remain committed to racing the right way — for our fans, our partners and our sport.”
The penalty drops Ferrucci from 10th (144 points) in the championship to 14th (118 points) seven races into the 2025 season with World Wide Technology Raceway next June 15.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Santino Ferrucci’s car flagged during post-race inspection after Detroit runner-up finish
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
