In a press conference broadcast on Twitch, Romain Grosjean confirmed that he has signed up with Dale Coyne in IndyCar.
The Frenchman, who suffered a terrible accident on November 29 during the Bahrain Grand Prix, said that discussions about a possible future across the Atlantic had started a few weeks before the Imola Grand Prix in early November.
“I received the contract from Dale Coyne the day before the Grand Prix.
Basically, I had to do the whole season.
Unfortunately, with the accident I prefer not to do the 'Ovals'.
So I wouldn't do the Indianapolis 500 miles, even if I dreamed of winning them, he said.
The 'Ovals' are too risky for now ”.
The driver with ten podiums in Formula 1 also confided that after his accident, his family, his friends and his advisor had told him "to forget the IndyCar".
Motivated to find the asphalt, Romain Grosjean finally conceded to abandon racing on oval tracks, where accidents are more violent than on road circuits.
"I was ready to take a sabbatical year"
Romain Grosjean
What particularly convinced Romain Grosjean was the proximity of performance between each single-seater.
“What I miss the most is fighting to win.
Being in a championship where I can try to win races every weekend is great ”.
To guide him in his choice to cross the ocean, Romain notably consulted Simon Pagenaud, French IndyCar driver since 2012. “We spoke a lot with Simon and he helped me a lot,” he explained.
During the press conference, he explained in particular that he felt ready “to take a sabbatical year” and that he was waiting “for a real good project to be sure to get back on track” after his accident.
Open to a freelance in F1
Regarding a possible return to Formula 1, Romain Grosjean said that the “book was closed”.
Before continuing: “But in this sport you never know.
With Kevin (Magnussen) and Alex (Albon), we are surely the ones who will be called up in the event of Covid-19 in Formula 1 to replace a driver ”.
The journalists reminded him in particular that Mercedes had offered to put him in their Formula 1, to allow him to bow out as needed.
(He had not been able to participate in the last two Grands Prix of the season because of his accident).
Romain Grosjean confirmed that he should “do a test with the Mercedes.
At the moment they are a little busy developing the new single-seater.
I will relaunch them later ”.
Romain Grosjean will begin his season on April 18 in Barber, Alabama.
He announced in particular that he had trained on this track on the iRacing racing simulator.
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