Andretti Global Accepts Penalty After Technical Violation at Thermal

Colton Herta and Andretti Global have been penalized after a technical inspection at the Thermal IndyCar round uncovered an equipment violation on Herta’s No. 26 Honda.

According to IndyCar, the team failed to install dual anti-intrusion plates on the aft leg of the front lower wishbones — a regulation introduced in February 2025 for added cockpit safety. Instead, they only used one plate per side, which falls short of the updated rules.

The rule traces back to safety protocols implemented after James Hinchcliffe’s life-threatening crash in 2015, where a broken suspension part entered the cockpit.

In an official statement, Andretti Global said:

“We’ve reviewed the findings for Car #26 and, while we respectfully disagree, we accept the penalty and will move forward.”

As a result, the team was fined $25,000, forfeited all purse money from Thermal, and received a 10-point deduction in team standings — dropping them from eighth to tenth. Herta’s driver standings, however, remain unaffected.