Grosjean stars with podium charge
He’s always had a big smile, but we’re seeing it plastered across his face a lot more this season than last. Romain Grosjean is loving his IndyCar adventure in the wake of his miserable final season in Formula 1 with Haas – and that horrendous fiery accident in Bahrain – and the Frenchman scored the third podium of his maiden season after a charging performance at Laguna.
Starting 13th, Grosjean tore through the pack in his Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Dallara, using his fresher tyres in the closing stages to pull off a fantastic outside pass on O’Ward at Turn 2. He then chased down Graham Rahal to snatch third place and with stunning pace looked set to give Palou a late headache. But a Zanardi-style dive as he attempted to lap NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson at the Corkscrew almost ended in disaster. Grosjean surprised Johnson by coming from way back and the pair made contact, fortunately without meaningful consequences. But it was enough of a delay to give Palou the breathing space he needed to confirm his second-place result; Grosjean still in close attendance when they took the chequered flag.
Two days before the race, Grosjean made a few headlines after crashing a Honda Civic Type R pace car that appeared to have a brake problem as he entered the pitlane. It’s said the impact was enough to deploy the airbag and to deepen his blushes, team-mate Ed Jones was sitting alongside him when the incident occurred. Still, it was all forgotten on Sunday night. Grosjean has been linked to a drive with Andretti Autosport for 2022 and has even ventured on to an oval this year despite vowing only to race on road and street courses. It looks like he’s well and truly hooked on his new life on the US scene.