Colton Herta’s IndyCar championship aspirations faded further at the Grand Prix of Portland, as he was hit by a penalty for a pit road infringement.
He only ended up losing a handful of seconds due to the debacle, but he was unaware of the rule that he was penalised for in the first instance.
After stalling during a pit stop, Herta used IndyCar‘s new hybrid system to restart his car – which was quicker than allowing his team to start it for him.
He saved a few seconds in doing so, and went on with his race, without realising that he was in violation of Rule 14.23.1.8, which was published before the first hybrid race in Mid-Ohio.
Colton Herta ‘wasn’t aware’ of rule in Portland infringement
Speaking to RACER after the Grand Prix of Portland, Herta admitted that he didn’t know about the rule of not being allowed to use the hybrid system to restart a car on pit road.
His penalty was lenient, as he was forced to drop behind a lapped car and only lost a few seconds in doing so, keeping his race alive.
It’s something that IndyCar teams might look to exploit if the rules are kept the same in the future, seeing the overall loss Herta suffered.
“We had a little bit of a moment in pit lane where I must’ve just slipped the clutch a little too quick and the car just died right there,” he said.
“Then, I wasn’t aware that you couldn’t start the car on pit lane, so we picked up a little bit of a time penalty and had to drop back.”
Where does Herta’s title charge lay now?
The only driver inside the top six of the IndyCar standings to have taken only one victory this season, Herta trails Alex Palou by 67 points.
With 162 left up for grabs across three oval races, it seems a very steep task for the Andretti star to claw back all of that advantage.
It would require a monumental effort around a layout of circuit that the American has failed to win at in any of his 96 race starts.
Ovals are the final hurdle for him to conquer, but his race pace around them – most recently at Gateway, suggests that a breakthrough may be close.
If he can win one, or even both races at the Milwaukee Mile 250, then he stands a chance of preventing Palou from winning his third IndyCar title.