Romain Grosjean Eligible to Compete in Full Indy Championship After Passing Rookie ‘Oval’ Test

Romain Grosjean is steadily gaining attention from F1 fans around the world with his splendid outing in the IndyCar series. To add up to the success, the Frenchman has finally received the nod to take part in the upcoming oval race, which will also bolster his chances of contesting the full championship from the next season.

Earlier on Tuesday, after completing an impressive 166 laps and finishing the day eightth fastest, Grosjean passed the rookie ‘Oval’ test at the World Wide Technology Raceway.

But what does that mean?

Well, having received the much-needed green light, the ex-Haas F1 driver will join the grid for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race on the very same oval next month. What’s more, Grosjean is now eligible to compete through the entire IndyCar season and Indy 500 from 2022.

This will be Grosjean’s first-ever oval race in the Indy series; he failed to qualify for the initial three races at Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And despite missing out on the two big races this season, Grosjean is still holding onto P16 out of the 40-driver standings. Hence, with six races left in hand, Grosjean will undeniably be eyeing a top 10 finish in the championship.

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Romain Grosjean hails a ‘super positive’ day at the WWTR circuit

As reported by Racer, the 34-year-old opened up that he could unlock more performance out of the car ahead of the main event on August 21.

“We went through the day and gathered a lot of information,” he said. “In that aspect, it was super positive. We worked well. And we learned that we could extract more performance from the car, which is great. At the end of the day, on the last, long run the car felt very nice. And I was happy with it.

“I think that was key for us today. Getting some key data, getting me comfortable in the car, and being able to attack on a long run. Now we can put it all together when we come back in a few weeks for my first oval race. I’m really looking forward to it,” the Dale Coyne Racing driver added.

The upcoming round 11 of the 2021 Indy season is all set to undergo at the Nashville Street Circuit on August 8. And yet again, Grosjean will be looking to secure the second Indy pole of his career in Tennessee.

So, can the Frenchman gain some big points over the upcoming race to inch closer to the top 10 on the championship table? Only time will tell.

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