Penalties issued to Chevrolet, Honda

IndyCar's new engine penalty system has already struck both Chevrolet and Honda, with the two manufacturers having been docked 50 and 30 points respectively for unapproved changes.

Previously, unauthorised engine swaps were punished by 10-place grid penalties, however this was changed ahead of the 2014 season following sustained complaints that it was unfair to sanction teams and drivers for breaches that were beyond their control.

Chevrolet's deduction comes after the engines in the cars of Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastian Saavedra, Will Power and Mike Conway underwent repairs outside the limits permitted by Rule 10.6.4, which states: "Ten points will be deducted for an engine undergoing a non-minor repair that requires a component change, subject to IndyCar approval.

"The engine will no longer be eligible for points from Rule 10.6.4.2."

The latter rule awards 10 points for each engine that completes its minimum life cycle.

Chevrolet's fifth penalty came after it was forced to change the engine in Charlie Kimball's car, which failed at Long Beach.

That represented a violation of Rule 16.5.1, which mandates a minimum life cycle of 2500 miles for each unit.

The same regulation accounted for the three Honda-powered entries that attracted penalties: the Schmidt duo of Simon Pagenaud and Mikhael Aleshin, and Bryan Herta Autosport's Jack Hawksworth.

Despite the deductions, Chevrolet retains its advantage in the manufacturers' standings ahead of this weekend's race at Barber with 197 points to Honda's 112.