Why Grosjean's oval commitment shows he's serious about IndyCar

Romain Grosjean probably won’t win IndyCar’s Rookie of the Year title this season, as Penske’s Scott McLaughlin leads the way going into this weekend's final round at Long Beach. And, although he admires the styling of the trophy, Grosjean claims he’s not too bothered.

For a start he’s happy to be alive and racing, plus he’s scored two more podium finishes than the Kiwi (despite skipping the big oval races, the Texas double-header and the Indianapolis 500) while running for Dale Coyne's underdog team. He also has a 2022 Andretti Autosport deal in his back pocket, so they can battle on more even terms in future for an even bigger prize. 

It’s been mission accomplished this year for Grosjean, who still bears the scars of his nightmarish Bahrain Grand Prix crash that almost cost him everything in November 2020. Next year, it’s time to step up his level with one of the series’ big-boy teams. 

“Andretti is such a huge name in motorsport – mention that name in Formula 1 or IndyCar, it doesn’t matter, everyone knows the name,” Grosjean tells Autosport. “I’ll be racing the full championship. In all fairness, the reason I’m racing on the ovals is to try to win the title. And winning the 500 wouldn’t be a bad thing!” 

The 35 year-old makes the move to one of IndyCar’s powerhouse teams after an impressive rookie season in which he ended a decade-long wait for a first pole position since the 2011 GP2 Series at May's Indianapolis GP. He went on to finish second in that race and repeated the result on his return to the track in August, before taking his most recent podium with a standout drive to third at Laguna Seca last weekend that included passing Scott Dixon at the Corkscrew. 

It’s quite amazing to think that we’re still over a month away from the anniversary of his fiery Bahrain F1 crash that nearly cost him his life, never mind his racing career. 

“Just thinking back… from almost being dead on a racetrack, coming out of the fire, back to racing, getting pole and podiums with the smallest team in the championship,” he reflects.

Grosjean has found a new lease of life in IndyCar with DCR this year

Photo by: Joe Skibinski

“Remember, Dale [Coyne] gave me a chance to come back when we didn’t know if I could hold the steering wheel anymore. To now be signing for one of the biggest teams in the championship. It’s like… Wow! My last year has been quite something.” 

In spite of the high competition level in IndyCar – where nine drivers have won races this year – Grosjean believes he could have joined that winning club in his maiden campaign, having arrived with the ambition of gaining a single podium finish. 

“It’s been tough, it’s very competitive – much more than we think watching from Europe,” he says. “In general, I’d say we’ve been pretty good this year but we’ve never been lucky. Opposite to some other drivers – who I won’t name! – but we’ve never got really lucky enough to win a race. 

“The performance has been really good, especially in qualifying. But a good example was Detroit, where we started third and fifth, and then I did not finish either race… Nashville we were fifth, ran fourth – finished 16th! I think the performance has been there, just not all the results.”  

"Look at the F1 grid, guys, it’s locked up, so I’d say to them, ‘Open your eyes’ – there’s something good out there outside of F1" Romain Grosjean 

Grosjean says his experience of IndyCar has completely changed his outlook on its standing in the global motorsports landscape – which, of course, he is helping to raise with his profile. 

“My take on IndyCar has changed, from looking like a backup option to Formula 1 when it’s closed there… I think more people should see this as like a primary option, not a backup,” he says. “OK, it is easy for me to say this, after 10 years in F1, so I’ve done it. And the kids maybe don’t want to hear that. But look at the F1 grid, guys, it’s locked up, so I’d say to them, ‘Open your eyes’ – there’s something good out there outside of F1.” 

A packed entry list does have its downsides, however: “It’s positive that we have so many cars, but there’s a few negatives as well because our racetracks are so short. I mean, Portland is 1.9 miles for 27 cars! It wasn’t easy, let’s put it that way. 

Grosjean believes he could have won a race in his first year, and feels luck hasn't been on his side at crucial moments - such as in Nashville

Photo by: Joe Skibinski

“All the tracks are old style, so we don’t have any issue with track limits, it’s all natural. They’re bumpy, the tarmac is different everywhere. So, there’s been a lot of adapting and changing for me, and these cars are made for these tracks.  

“Bring this car to Sochi, it would be boring as hell! Bring an F1 car to Laguna, it wouldn’t make a lap in one piece. At Portland, after I made a mistake at Turn 1, we came back on track 14 laps down! Forget that in Formula 1. 

“It’s a different type of racing, and it’s racing that I like – every lap is flat-out. The atmosphere [between drivers] is awesome. We share, we joke, we laugh, we’re in our buses in the parking lot next to each other, we have barbeques, we have beers on Sunday night. It’s still a business here, but it’s the pleasure of coming racing… You come racing to make a business, and you don’t make a business out of the racing – if that makes sense? 

PLUS: Why IndyCar is satisfying Grosjean’s appetite for his second life

“I’ve been enjoying the Firestone tyres a lot too. It’s been great to have a tyre that you can push and not worry about numbers, stats and tyres overheating, you can just drive it like you stole it! And that’s big fun.” 

A major part of his move to a big team is, of course, that he will have to take on the challenge of IndyCar’s big ovals. This year, his deal was for road and street courses only – but he added Gateway (a smaller 1.25-mile oval) to the program as a taster for what’s next. 

“Ovals are another world,” he acknowledges. “It’s like comparing mountain biking and road cycling. They might both be bikes, but they’re very different. It’s something I’ll need to learn over the years ahead.

“I think I’m a quick learner, but I realise there’s many things to find out about those tracks, the set-up of the car and the racing. It’s just so different.” 

Gateway short track is Grosjean's oval experience so far

Photo by: Barry Cantrell / Motorsport Images

Grosjean puts a lot of his accelerated learning this year down to spending time in Honda’s simulator, but he’s yet to give the big ovals a try – either on that or in real life. 

“I know it’s something I need to respect a lot,” he says of the high-speed challenge that lies ahead. “I’ve only done one short oval, but Gateway is a short track and we’re still doing over 200mph at the end of the straight there, so it was still pretty fast!” 

He also admits he hasn’t even attended a race event at a big oval track: “Whenever I could get back to Europe, to see my family, I went. But I was watching it all on TV, and my engineer has got a lot of oval experience, so he’ll be able to help me.  

"IndyCar has really worked out nicely. It’s been a very friendly, family environment. It’s given me back my taste and love for racing, and I’d honestly lost that for those past two years in F1" Romain Grosjean

“I’ll need to do my rookie orientation at Indy, and there’s the open test in April, so there’s actually quite a bit of time. Whereas at Gateway it was one free practice session, then two laps of qualifying and then you’re off in the race!  I didn’t know what to expect, so maybe I did some things that weren’t in the book, but it worked out OK! It was fun.” 

With his rookie season now almost done, and an exciting future in store, it’s important not to gloss over the other challenge he’s faced this year: dealing with his burnt left hand. The last time this writer sat down with Grosjean, after practice at St Petersburg in April, he had forgotten to tape-up his thumb and was clearly suffering some pain as a consequence. 

Today, his burns look a lot less ‘angry’ and he can flex his fingers more freely – although he reveals there is more surgery to come in the off-season. 

“Over the last few weeks the pain has almost gone,” he says. “The flexibility [of the skin] is coming back a little bit. They’re going to do some more work, as some bits are really cooked, so they’re going to take some skin from here [Grosjean tugs at the underside of his right wrist] and put it on my hand. It’s a thin skin on your hand and they need to graft skin without any hairs… I’ve learned a lot about this subject!” 

Grosjean will undergo surgery in the off-season to graft skin onto his hand

Photo by: Barry Cantrell / Motorsport Images

One aspect that has helped take his mind off dealing with the legacy of Bahrain is the sheer joy of experiencing his new lease of life in America, where he’s been exploring and having fun between races. 

“I’ve loved it here so far, and when the kids finish school at the end of the year we’ll move to Miami,” he says. “It was OK to commute for a year from Europe but when you have the time difference, especially with the West Coast races, it’s hard because the kids are in bed by 11am where I am. 

“We spent a month and a half all together on the bus [he has been driving an RV between races] this summer, the five of us. It was great to spend so much time together. It was really good fun, and the whole American experience has been incredible.  

“IndyCar has really worked out nicely. It’s been a very friendly, family environment. It’s given me back my taste and love for racing, and I’d honestly lost that for those past two years in F1. It was getting me down. I went into races and what to expect? Nothing. That’s tough, that’s hard. And it’s hard to take because people say ‘well, you’re in F1’ and I understand that. 

“But I’d been in it for 10 years, I’d been fighting for podiums and wins. And with Haas, it started well but since it was going down and down. When people ask ‘would you go back?’ Well, I wish they wouldn’t ask! I had a very good time, it was a great adventure, but I’ve moved on to something else that I can enjoy.” 

One moment that will stay with Grosjean is the crowd’s reaction to his charging drive to the podium at Laguna, which drew inevitable comparisons with Alex Zanardi. They chanted his name and demanded an encore appearance – in some amazing scenes. 

“It’s just been incredible, when I got the ovation – is that the word in English? – I almost cried, and I don't cry very often!” he says. “It's been more than anything I could imagine. 

Fans cheered Grosjean's name after his swashbuckling drive to third at Laguna Seca

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

“Without the fans, we wouldn't be racing. They are a very important part of what we do. But what they give me back is just incredible. So I wanted to share with them the podium.” 

Speaking of enjoying special moments, when is he finally going to get that promised Mercedes F1 test? 

“Ah, yes!” his face lights up at the prospect. “We’ve just been struggling to find a date. After the initial test was postponed we were going to do it at Paul Ricard, and then they changed the quarantine for English people, so it didn’t happen there either. Then there was a date at Silverstone that didn’t work out with Long Beach travel. 

“We’re trying to find another one but I have to have this skin graft. It’ll happen, but next year – and that means I can drive the one fitted with the DAS, which is even better! That’s a great car, and to drive for a world championship team, we have to make it happen.”

Grosjean still harbours hopes of getting his 'farwell' F1 test with Mercedes next year, but is fully focused on IndyCar moving forward

Photo by: Barry Cantrell / Motorsport Images