IndyCar

With his current contract coming to an end, Romain Grosjean is being linked with a move to IndyCar giants Andretti Autosport. The Frenchman moved to the American series after being dropped by Haas at the end of the 2020 campaign, signing for Dale Coyne Racing, and he has been hugely impressive in his rookie season. At Indianapolis, he took pole position and finished the race in P2, claiming his first podium, before also finishing in P5 at Road America. It looks like parties are taking note of his strong performances too, with increasing rumours that he will replace Ryan Hunter-Reay at Michael Andretti’s team next season. Dale Coyne understands why his driver would want to make that move, but is still hopeful that he’ll stay where he is. “I think he’s happy with us, although I realise lots of people are looking at him right now,” Coyne told Autosport. “We’ve done a good job for him, I think he understands that. We took a chance on him, he took a chance on us, and I think it’s worked out good for both of us and I hope that pays off for both of us in the end and we’re able to keep him next year. “Andretti’s team is good, and I understand a driver wanting to go there but I think we’re doing a good job for him, too. He’s been quick everywhere we’ve run him, in qualifying and the race, which shows he’s pretty complete. But you need to have the car to get the job done, and I think he’s helped show that we’re pretty complete. “He and Olivier [Boisson, race engineer] have good chemistry, and that’s throughout the team, everybody here. This team feels like a family, we’ve heard that from a lot of drivers, and they like that. And this family likes Romain and his family very much. “So we’re still talking and I hope we stay together.” Another option for Grosjean going forward could be McLaren. The British team have announced they will be taking on an increased 75% stake in IndyCar team Arrow McLaren SP at the end of 2021, and Zak Brown has confirmed they will be adding a third driver to their lineup. The American stated a very small shortlist has been drawn up, and both Grosjean and former Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen have been rumoured to be on it. “This is very much a driver championship as much as it is a team [championship] – that’s what makes it so exciting,” he said. “So we have to make sure that we get the right pilot in the race car, and there’s not a lot of them on the market. We’ve got a very short list, and if we can land someone that we think is capable of winning we’ll go for it in ’22.”

Former Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen announced Wednesday he will make his IndyCar debut this weekend at Road America, filling in for the injured Felix Rosenqvist at Arrow McLaren SP. Magnussen drove for McLaren, who are connected to the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team, during the 2015 Formula 1 season. He has been in the United States this year competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Rosenqvist was injured in a crash in the first race of the Detroit doubleheader last weekend. Oliver Askew filled in for Rosenqvist in the second race, but will be filling in for Rinus VeeKay, who injured his clavicle in a cycling accident, with Ed Carpenter Racing at Road America.

Romain Grosjean completed his first ever IndyCar test session at Barber Motorsports Park, recovering from a spin in the morning to get in a full day of practice in his new car. The session marks the first time the French racing driver has been back behind the wheel of any race car since suffering a horrific crash at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix on November 29, 2020. Since then, he has found a new series to call his own, and will be racing the #51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing entry for the street and road course events on the 2021 IndyCar season. After putting in a few laps in the morning, Grosjean had a high-speed spin while entering turn 1.  His unsponsored black car had to be towed back to the pits after subsequently getting stuck in the gravel. Despite the setback, he was back on track an hour later and ended up completing 83 laps by the end of the day, and was very close to the competitive times laid down by the series regulars who were also in attendance. “It felt very normal,” said Grosjean after the full day of testing.  “It really felt like home at the beginning.  It’s a different car, a different [driving] position, but apart from that, everything felt great and normal. “Basically I just went too fast [into turn 1].  When I was on the brake I also picked up the throttle which you do in high speed, but because it’s a mechanical diff it does open the diff when you do that, and therefore it makes the car loose. “I just need to get used to a new car.  It reminds me of when I was jumping from Formula Renault to Formula 3 and GP2.  So far, I’ve been really happy with it. “I think the more testing we have, the better it is, but I’m also very much looking forward for it to be the 17th and 18th of April to go racing.” Grosjean was wearing a version of the helmet that was designed by his three kids and was intended to be worn during his final Formula 1 race at the end of the 2020 season. The lingering effects of his crash in Bahrain, however, meant that he was forced to end his time in the sport two races early and never had a chance to wear the helmet as part of a proper send-off. He still carries the marks of his accident on his hands, which show heavy scarring and are still a little sore during the rigors of piloting a 700 horsepower machine with no power steering. “It’s definitely the hardest steering wheel I’ve had to cope with,” explained Grosjean. “The first few laps, the muscles weren’t quite warmed up or ready for it. I’ll know where to exactly where to work in the gym and what to do. “There’s a nice big blister on my left thumb which is not pretty, but driving-wise it was okay. It wasn’t painful. I was being a bit careful on some of the curves, but generally it hasn’t been a limitation. “I think really what I’ve found here is that there’s a lot of mechanical grip and less aero than the Formula 1 car and obviously a little bit less power, but that the drivability of the engine, the modes of the engine, the different maps we tried worked really well. “The mechanical grip of the car has been really good. The way the team works is really good. It’s different, but I’m happy with that. Trying to adapt myself has been quite smooth.” Grosjean was far from the only driver at this test. In total 12 drivers from five teams put in laps on the 2.38-mile course in Birmingham, Alabama to prepare themselves for the start of the new season. Team Penske, Ed Carpenter Racing, AJ Foyt Racing, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing were all present to put some of the finishing touches on their preparations for the new season. Timing from the event is not available as this was a private test session that was not attended by media outlets. Grosjean has one more test scheduled at Laguna Seca, but then will return to Barber in just under two months’ time for IndyCar’s first race of the season on April 18.