When Marcus Armstrong spun after contact with Christian Lundgaard during Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the New Zealand native narrowly missed the tire barrier exiting turn 4 before spinning through the gravel trap and across the racing surface. The car slid to a stop, but not before almost being struck by two other drivers going through the wall of sand kicked up by the spin.
Armstrong stalled his car as it was pointed the wrong way on the right side of the circuit off the racing line. However, IndyCar did not throw a full course yellow to restart Armstrong’s car. Instead, the decision was made to let the current sequence of green flag pit stops finish up before calling for the yellow flag to restart the No. 11.
This tradition will soon hopefully be over. Let’s explain why.
The introduction of hybrid technology to the NTT IndyCar Series at the upcoming Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will bring IndyCar into a new era that has been in sports car racing for over a decade and Formula 1 for a decade now.
The new hybrid motors, when coupled to the existing engines, will allow drivers to gain an additional horsepower boost that, when combined with the push-to-pass boost system, will push the Honda and Chevrolet engines beyond the 800 horsepower mark.
The hybrid system will also allow drivers to start the cars on their own, negating the need for an external starter motor, and this is where things will change significantly.
Armstrong would be able to restart the car on his own, and thus a full-course yellow would be avoided. This would eliminate many red flags in practice and qualifying sessions when drivers spin and stall their cars, requiring assistance from the safety team to get restarted.
However, this would also eliminate IndyCar’s practice of holding a full-course yellow on road and street courses until all drivers have been able to pit to finish a pit sequence, and that practice has been a source of controversy for some time.
It’s understandable to see why IndyCar would leave the track green. IndyCar closes the pits when they call for a full-course yellow. If a driver hasn’t pitted during a green-flag pit sequence, they are at significant risk of their race being ruined if a full-course yellow is called. That driver will have to pit under the yellow, putting them behind all other drivers that have already pitted under green.
With passing being at a premium on road and street courses, that could take a driver that has run up front and put them in the back half of the field. That’s why IndyCar waits to throw the yellow on road and street course races, if possible.
However, that procedure comes with some massive questions about race integrity. A car being stranded on a race track is still a danger, even if it is off-line. The stranded car needs to be retrieved without corner marshals being in danger for simply doing their jobs, which is why a full-course yellow is needed.
But if a car is in an unsafe position when it stops, it’s still in an unsafe position while the rest of the field keeps going to get back to the pits. And on an oval, the caution is called immediately when a car hits the wall.
Every driver races by the same set of rules. If a team tells their driver to stay out long before pitting, that is the risk they take in order to make an overcut strategy work. By holding a caution flag until every car pits, that’s telling the driver in an unsafe position that their safety isn’t as important as making sure the rest of the leaders can pit.
Josef Newgarden was the main benefactor of race control delaying the caution call at Laguna Seca. The No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet was leading the race when Armstrong spun, forcing Tim Cindric to call Newgarden into pit lane for his final stop of the day.
While Graham Rahal and Linus Lundqvist also pitted at the same time, Newgarden remained near the front, blending out behind eventual race winner Alex Palou. For all the luck that Newgarden had with the caution timing, that all went away quickly when Newgarden went off track twice exiting turn 5, dropping all the way back down to finish in 19th place.
Race control may have the best of intentions by holding a caution flag until the rest of the field pits. But if a driver can’t get their car restarted because of a mechanical failure, then race control is essentially telling them that their safe recovery isn’t as important as making sure that the leaders that haven’t pitted can maintain their position.
Maybe it’s time for IndyCar to look at slow zones similar to how the FIA World Endurance Championship operates their races. In those situations, drivers have to slow to a predetermined speed at the section of track where the trouble is and then, once they are past the danger, they may resume racing.
That is probably the best case scenario for a solo car recovery effort like Armstrong’s, but for Kyffin Simpson and Rahal’s accident late in the race, then a full-course yellow is the best option.
The hybrid system will eliminate the need for a full-course yellow when a driver spins and stalls their car. But if a driver can’t get their car started again due to mechanical failure, race control must remember that driver safety should be their priority, not keeping the track green so drivers can make their pit stops without being disadvantaged.
Otherwise, IndyCar simply disadvantages the rest of the field who pitted earlier in the window and did nothing wrong.
About the author
Christopher DeHarde has covered IndyCar racing and the Road to Indy for various outlets since 2014. In addition to open wheel racing, DeHarde has also covered IMSA and various short track racing events around Indiana. Originally from New Orleans, DeHarde moved to the Indianapolis area in 2017 to further pursue a career as a motorsports writer.
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