IndyCar slaps Scott Dixon with big grid penalty for Toronto race

Scott Dixon has one more worry to cater to at the upcoming IndyCar race in Toronto, as his No. 9 car has been handed a six-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. The Kiwi will use his sixth Honda engine for the 2025 season, with five races still left on the calendar.

IndyCar has urged both Chevrolet and Honda to make reliable engines through its stringent rulebook. Unlike F1, where only grid penalties are given out to drivers, the top class of open-wheel racing in the United States utilizes the threat of not earning any points towards the engine manufacturer championship through the default car.

The IndyCar rulebook lays down Article 16.1.2.3.2, which suggests that any car that utilizes a fifth engine or more during a championship season has to give away its right to earn points for the engine manufacturer's championship. With Dixon having already taken his fifth engine in Detroit, his performance has not been adding points to the manufacturers' cup for over a month, and he will now take his second six-place grid drop at the race in Toronto, Canada.

However, Honda has won 11 of the 12 races held so far. This has helped the Japanese engine manufacturer mount a massive 208-point lead in the standings.

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Scott Dixon credited Honda after Chip Ganassi Racing's 1-2 finish at the Farm to Finish 275 at Iowa Speedway

Scott Dixon (L), Alex Palou, and Marcus Armstrong (R) at the NTT INDYCAR Series Sukup Race Weekend - Source: Getty

While Scott Dixon struggles to help Honda in its pursuit of the manufacturers' cup, his results lately have not been shy of impressive, benefiting from the new Japanese powertrain. The six-time IndyCar Series champion became the third different race winner this season at the Mid-Ohio Grand Prix earlier this month, where he capitalised on his teammate's mistake.

Since then, Dixon has been on top form, and after a decent outing at the first race at Iowa Speedway, the 44-year-old rebounded with a second-place result, just behind his teammate Alex Palou, last Sunday. The legendary driver credited Honda for his performance at Iowa, saying (via the post-race interview):

"It was a great day. Ours was a little difficult, we kind of threw the kitchen sink at it to start with. Yesterday, on the high line, we weren’t super happy, so we used it as a bit of a test session to get everything dialed in."

"Today, of course with Honda and HRC, the fuel mileage was crazy good and we could dictate what we wanted to do with strategy. It’s always nice to have those options in your back pocket. It worked out well for us! Congrats to Alex and congrats to Honda!" Dixon added.

Meanwhile, Honda's firm grip over the manufacturers' championship standing could help them edge out Chevrolet in the next five rounds and help them end the latter's three-year streak at the top of the table.