Romain Grosjean Explains the ‘Significant Risk’ Stopping Indy 500 Run

Former F1 driver, Romain Grosjean, will be looking to have a positive campaign in the IndyCar. Grosjean may have just ended his Formula 1 career, but he is still open to open-wheel car racing.

He will take part in 13 Road Course events in the 2021 IndyCar seriesThis comes on the back of a disappointing 2020 season in Formula 1.

His 2020 F1 season ended on a scary note as he had a brutal crash in Bahrain. The 34-year-old was lucky to just escape with minor burns to his hands.

The Frenchman, though, will decline to take part in the doubleheader at Texas and the Indianapolis 500. The reason behind this is that these are superspeedway tracks (oval tracks).

“They present a risk which is significant,” says Grosjean

Grosjean details the reasons why he won’t take part in the superspeedways. He said in an interview, “There are two tracks that I’m not going to do this year and that is Texas [a double-header in 2021] and the Indianapolis 500.”

“Much as I would love to win the Indy 500, they present a risk which is significant, and some of the crashes we’ve seen are massive. I’m not saying the drivers get hurt but still, they are driving cars at 210mph or more right next to each other, so it’s a risk. That’s the limiting factor compared with how I was before the accident in Bahrain.”

He goes on to say that he would have reconsidered if he were younger and didn’t have kids. He said, “If I was 25 and I didn’t have kids I would do the whole season, no question. But I’m a father of three, and for two minutes and 45 seconds in Bahrain, I know they thought they had lost their father.” 

“So if I was younger, yes, I would do it all and accept that all motorsport involves risks. But being a dad, I can’t put my family through that phase again, and at Indy, you can have some big crashes.”

Romain Grosjean’s F1 career

Romain Grosjean had a very solid F1 career getting 179 race starts for 3 teams, Renault, Lotus, and Haas. He’s finished on the podium on 10 occasions during that time.

His highest career finish is 2nd in the 2013 United States Grand Prix. His best seasons in F1 were with Lotus. He finished 7th in the 2013 Drivers Championship with 132 points.

He struggled with the advent of the hybrid era in 2014, which saw him finish outside the points regularly. Grosjean’s legacy in F1 is as a very steady pair of hands behind the wheel. He will cherish the podiums he earned in his F1 career but may be wondering about a victory.