The brief but intense three-year whirlwind romance between Romain Grosjean and Indycar appears to be heading to an end, as he parts ways with Andretti Autosport and faces an uncertain future Stateside.
After surviving that death-defying, fiery accident during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. Grosjean’s survival and recovery are well-told tales, as were the open arms he walked into when embarking on a road/street circuit-only (no ovals) Indycar campaign with Dale Coyne Racing.
The honeymoon continued until it became apparent that Grosjean’s bad habits from F1 – namely crashing a lot and awkward racer – carried on through to Indycar inevitably triggering the wrath of his fellow drivers, and a reality check for fans who expected different from the Frenchman.
After two years with Andretti Autosport, which ended in ‘divorce’ after which Grosjean was seen visiting ‘old flame’ Dale Coyne Racing recently with regards to a 2024 seat. But Coyne, who would entertain a return by the French veteran, has a queue of eager drivers to consider.
Notably, the team Grosjean leaves – Andretti Autosport – has opted to sign his former F1 rival Marcus Ericsson alongside Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood next season. The Swede achieved huge success with his racing career in the USA. His stats in the five seasons he has been there show four Indycar victories, including his sensational 2022 Indy 500 winner.
In contrast, Grosjean has yet to win an Indycar race but does have six top-three finishes. Nevertheless, according to him he is still in demand by Indycar and told NBC: “I cannot speak for what Michael Andretti is doing with the fourth car, but I do have other IndyCar teams that are talking to me. I’m a Phoenix. I will always find a place to bounce back.”
Although several Indycar seats for next season are still to be filled and Grosjean has a chance of taking one of them, he also has options with the burgeoning World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship series. He currently is part of Lamborghini’s Hypercar project.