Written by Katie Gregory, Edited by Meghana Sree
Andretti Autosport have confirmed that Romain Grosjean will not be racing for them in 2024. Grosjean pilots the No. 28 DHL Honda and joined Andretti in 2022 with a multi-year deal.
The former F1 driver had a smashing start to the season, claiming pole position at the St. Pete season-opener and finishing second at both Long Beach and Alabama. This series of stellar performances impressed team owner Michael Andretti, and it seemed Grosjean was heading towards a contract extension.
However, the results from the second half of the season told a different story, with Grosjean gaining a streak of eight finishes outside the top ten. Grosjean could not hide his disappointment at the string of upsetting results and didn’t hold back from expressing his frustration.
This frustration was mirrored by team owner Michael Andretti. Speaking to IndyStar on Grosjean’s comments, he said:
“I think that’s where Romain sometimes has a problem, controlling his adrenaline. Once he calms down, he’s more measured, but in the heat of the moment, I think he has a problem. It’s probably been his biggest downfall while he’s been here.”
When asked about Grosjean’s recent results, he said:
“He tends to push it when he doesn’t have the car. Instead of bringing it home 10th, he tries to push it to ninth and finishes 28th, and that’s been really frustrating on our side. We’ve had a talk about it, and we’ll see how the rest of the year goes.”
The talk must have worked, as he cleaned up his act, with him finishing inside the top ten at Nashville. Unfortunately for Grosjean, it was too little and far too late for Andretti Autosport– who are now looking for another driver to complete their 2024 lineup.
Romain should of stayed with Coyle racing for at least another 1 or 2 seasons in indy car before heading to an upper tier team. like in F1, he just cant control himself and causes more problems than he does top 10 finishes. i just dont see any other indy team being interested in taking on Romain in the future because there really are NO upsides to his driving.