Honda’s streak of reliability issues with its NTT IndyCar Series engines in 2024 has affected two of its drivers at an unexpectedly early stage of the season.
With the series’ engine leasing and usage rules requiring each entry to obtain four motors for up to 10,000 miles of competition per season, switching to a fifth engine (or more) is considered a violation of IndyCar’s rules. Going beyond the four motors is termed a “unapproved engine change” and results in a six-position grid penalty for the driver. Additionally, once the fifth motor is installed, that entry is no longer able to gain points for its engine supplier in the manufacturers championship.
IndyCar’s first penalty for breaching the four-engine limit occurred around the end of July 2022. In 2023, it occurred in early August. The revelation of fifth-motor penalties for Kyffin Simpson in the No. 4 Chip Ganassi Racing and Graham Rahal in the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing on May 31 was the earliest in memory.
To date, five points-paying IndyCar races have been conducted in 2024, with the non-championship race at The Thermal Club serving as the sixth. Twelve races remain on the schedule.
