Romain Grosjean blasts IndyCar's "horrendous marketing" for his uncertain future despite “one of the best seasons” in 2024
IndyCar driver and former F1 star Romain Grosjean blasted IndyCar as he could lose his seat with Juncos Hollinger Racing. The French driver blamed budget restraints and "horrendous" marketing of the sport by IndyCar, resulting in his uncertain future despite finishing "one of his best seasons".
Romain Grosjean joined IndyCar in 2020 after leaving Formula 1. The former Haas driver joined Dale Coyne Racing to make his IndyCar debut soon after. Talking about his doubtful future, Grosjean said: (quotes by Racer.com)
“I think last year was probably one of my best seasons, and I may end up not being in the grid next year, just because the marketing has been horrendous for IndyCar, the hybrid has brought the costs to a level that’s unbearable for teams, and that’s the way it is."
He added:
“I think we built something good that I would like to carry on, and they would like to carry on as well. But we need sponsors, so we are actively trying to find money for the car, and then once the car is funded, we can go racing."
Grosjean scored a record six top-10s for the team, beating Callum Illot's previous-best stat of 3. If Grosjean doesn't continue with his current team, there's a possibility for the former Renault driver to join the only other team with a vacant seat - Dale Coyne Racing.
Romain Grosjean iterates his desire to return to F1 with former team after Haas TP's commendable job
Former Haas driver Romain Grosjean would be willing to return to the American team if Ayao Komatsu needed him. The French driver was in awe of the Japanese Team Principal's turnaround of the Kannapolis-based team.
Haas replaced Guenther Steiner at the start of the season with Komatsu and has been impressive under his reins. The team has been on a free-scoring points run lately and is P7 in the Constructor's Championship. They are only three points behind Alpine, whose double podium in Brazil helped them substantially.
Romain Grosjean praised Komatsu and said: (quotes via F1.com)
“I’m so proud of Ayao and what he’s been doing with Haas, bringing the team back to a much better level – just making the most of it and working as he does. I was lucky to know before the official announcement; I got a text from Ayao. I told him that I was very proud of him, very proud and happy of everything he’s done,"
"It almost makes me feel like I want to race for them again!”
Haas will look to finish the 2024 season ahead of Alpine in P6 to achieve the $8M bonus. They will also head into next season with a completely new driver lineup in Esteban Ocon and Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman.