Penske boss on Estre trial: “IMSA just wants to make an example”

– Team Penske president Jonathan Diuguid believes that IMSA officials have imposed a “harsh” penalty on Kevin Estre. At the same time, he emphasizes that Porsche Penske Motorsport (PPM) has clearly understood the expectations ahead of the upcoming “Battle on the Bricks” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Estre received a probation penalty for two races after a collision during the last restart with Jack Aitken’s Action Express Cadillac in the battle for second place at Road America.

Before the recent pure GTD race at Virginia International Raceway, IMSA race director Beaux Barfield also issued a clear warning. He cautioned that officials would not hesitate to remove the Porsche factory driver from the track mid-race if he were involved in another incident on the circuit.

During a recent media session ahead of the penultimate season race – and simultaneously the last sprint race – of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, Diuguid commented on whether the penalty is perceived as too harsh given Estre’s otherwise absolutely clean record before the accident.

“We were involved in active discussions with IMSA throughout the entire process,” says the American. “When you talk to Kevin, one thing is clear: Kevin is a Porsche factory driver as well as a PPM pilot and has a lot of experience, but he is also a tough competitor.”

“And I think in all these cases, we must not forget one thing: Throughout the entire season, Kevin was not involved in any self-inflicted incidents and did not receive any other penalties – until the incident at the end at Road America. So it’s not like he has a long record full of problems or anything like that.”

“Is the penalty harsh? Yes, it is harsh. I believe, to some extent, IMSA simply wants to set an example here, which is also their right. But we are still in motorsport. Our focus is on controlling the things we can control. It is IMSA’s responsibility to manage the championship, and they also pursue certain goals there.”

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“The fact is that the PPM cars have driven extremely clean all season. Then there was this one serious incident that none of us wanted. Of course, that also had an impact on Kevin and his crew in car number 6, and as a result, we made some decisions.”

“I don’t think it was specifically directed against Porsche, against Kevin, or anyone else,” the Penske president continues. “I think this is a prerogative of IMSA, and they want to send a message with it.”

“We are in open communication with them, and this communication will continue on-site in Indy with Beaux and the others. We understand the expectations, we know how we need to proceed, and that will be our focus.”

The team has restructured its driver lineup for the upcoming weekend on the IMSA road course: Laurin Heinrich moves up to the factory squad and replaces Laurens Vanthoor alongside Estre in the Porsche #6. Heinrich is currently the highest-ranked Porsche driver in the championship and is 118 points behind leader Aitken.

After Barfield previously emphasized that Estre is being kept on an “extremely short leash” and that a suspension mid-race is even on the table for future offenses, placing Porsche’s biggest title hopeful in the same car is quite a risky decision.

However, Diuguid dismisses concerns that pairing Heinrich with a driver on probation could jeopardize the team’s title chase: “No, I don’t believe that. As mentioned before: Kevin is an absolute professional, he understands and evaluates every situation he is in. That is something we have of course considered, but I don’t see it as negative in any scenario.”

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