David Malukas apologizes for 'immature' remarks he made criticizing Chevrolet

Malukas has walked back his pointed criticism of Chevrolet following a frustrating loss at Milwaukee, and pushed back against fans who claim it was a forced apology

Team Penske's David Malukas was leading late at Milwaukee, but the car briefly hesitated on the final restart, costing him the lead. He never got control of the race, finishing second to Pato O'Ward as the Arrow McLaren driver swept both of the Sunday races. Chevrolet cars finished 1st through 7th in the final race of the day.

For Malukas, it was his fourth runner-up finish of the 2026 season and the sixth of his IndyCar career after 78 starts.

"Chevy just, they let us down,” Malukas told IndyCar Radio’s Michael Young after the race. “I mean, plenum events [overboost], every time I leave pit lane, I gotta be lifting, first gear, second gear. It's ridiculous. And I mean, the team did such a good job. That car was unreal. I mean, it was already so good in Race 1 (2), and then they worked on it and got it to where it needed to be for this race. We were so fast, faster than the rest. And yeah, just got let down on that restart.”

Less than one day later, the 24-year-old has walked back those criticisms with an apology post on social media.

"Welp, not proud with what I said yesterday," said Malukas in a post around 10am EST. "It was childish and speaking out of frustration. Chevy has done great things for me this year and I wouldn’t be getting the results I have been without them. I apologize for what was said, immature from me."

When one fan suggested that Chevrolet is 'forcing him to be silent,' Malukas promptly replied: "No one told me anything. Chevy did own up. It’s how I reacted and what I said that was wrong. I crashed in the previous race and owned up to it. However, when I crashed and forced Chevy to build a new engine for me they didn’t put me down they supported me."

Malukas continued to engage with those claiming 'he got the call,' implying that Chevrolet forced him to make this statement. "I didn’t, I woke up and felt guilty and wanted to apologize," said Malukas. "It’s unlike me and I know what it feels like to be put down even when you are putting 110% of your effort. It’s a crappy feeling and unnecessary."

He also pushed back on another fan's point regarding how Malukas is on his seventh engine of the season, replying: "It’s from my own doing with my recent crashes. Not on Chevy."

Here's video of the critical restart, onboard the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet: