When Romain Grosjean highlighted differences between IndyCar & F1
Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean was featured on The Traxion Podcast in September 2024, as the PREMA Racing reserve driver detailed the differences between IndyCar and F1. However, the French took a closer look at the sporting and cultural side of the two motorsports series rather than delving into the technical side of it.
F1 received a huge push in the early 2020s following the release of the Drive to Survive docuseries and the 2021 controversial championship finale between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. More than half the teams are now worth a billion dollars, and it has commercialized the sport.
Romain Grosjean revealed how the same wasn't the case with IndyCar, where racing was still very much at the core for the drivers and teams. The Frenchman gave an example of the same to better explain the situation.
“Well, it happened to Iowa last two weeks, last month or something like that. A guy spun in front of me on lap one of the race, tried to avoid him, hit him. So the rear right suspension is destroyed, the car is broken, back to the garage. They bring it into the garage, they change the car and they put it back together and I go racing and I'm 100 laps down,” said Romain Grosjean.
“So, like, well, what are we going to do here? 100 laps down, that sucks. But also, it was just that we came racing, we go racing. We're going to learn something, we're going to go there, and it's just. It's more than a business. It's really the love of racing,” he added.
Also, unlike F1, drivers are not only awarded points based on their position, but also for finishing the race. As a result, the drivers, despite being multiple laps down, join the race even when there isn't a possibility of a good result.
Romain Grosjean raced for Juncos Hollinger Racing during the 2024 IndyCar season, but joined PREMA Racing for the 2025 season as the reserve driver.
Romain Grosjean revealed his retirement plans amid the switch to PREMA Racing
As Romain Grosjean took a step down from the full-time driver role in IndyCar and joined PREMA as the reserve driver, the Frenchman has been able to spend a lot more time with his friends and family. The 39-year-old was asked about his retirement plans on the Race IndyCar podcast amid this shift, to which he replied:
“I think right now I'm not ready to put my helmet on the shelf. I still want to go racing. But taking a bit of a step back has actually been interesting to realize that, you know, I miss it and I'm not ready to give up yet. But the day I decide that I'm done racing, it's not going to be an empty hole. There's going to be plenty.”
Romain Grosjean's current role involves doing a lot of simulator and back-end work for PREMA, as well as stepping in the car in case Robert Shwartzman or Callum Ilott are unavailable or unfit.