Romain Grosjean has confirmed his return to racing by competing in Indy-Car for the 2021 season, teaming up with Dale Coyne Racing.
The former F1 driver joins the new competition after nine seasons in F1, starting 181 races with ten podiums during his stint at three different teams.
Grosjean is best known after recently surviving his horrific crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, leaving him with severe burns and unable to complete the last two races of the F1 calendar.
There was doubt from many whether he’d return to racing after recovering from his injuries, with himself confirming in a public video that he is “not ready yet to take on the ovals.”
His injuries sustained in Bahrain has meant some changes to his plans this season however, with the French/Swiss driver not taking part in the four high speed oval races, instead racing in the 13 road and street circuits in the calendar.
This means he will miss the double header at the Texas Speedway as well as the Indianapolis 500, which recently returning F1 driver Fernando Alonso has twice competed in over the years.
Grosjean confirmed his plans to compete in these events were changed after his crash, suggesting that the risks they prevent wasn’t something he was prepared to take so soon.
“As much as I would love to win the Indy 500, they present a risk which is significant, and some of the crashes we’ve seen are massive. I’m not saying the drivers get hurt but still, they are driving cars at 210mph or more right next to each other, so it’s a risk” Grosjean added.
“That’s the limiting factor compared with how I was before the accident in Bahrain. If I was 25 and I didn’t have kids I would do the whole season, no question. But I’m a father of three, and for two minutes and 45 seconds in Bahrain, I know they thought they had lost their father.”
Looking ahead to the season, Grosjean appeared excited at the competitiveness of the sport compared to F1, with the driver expecting to be far closer to the front of the standings than he has been in F1 as of late.
“IndyCar has a much more level playing field than what I have been used to in my career so far. It will be exciting to challenge for podiums and wins again.”
He is one of three new drivers entering the competition in 2021, with 7-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and 3-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin joining Grosjean in entering IndyCar for the first time.
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