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Romain Grosjean left the IndyCar grid as a full-time driver after the 2024 season and is now a reserve driver for PREMA Racing in their debut attempt at the championship. Having his full-time role taken away from him, the 39-year-old revealed that he feels like a "spare quarterback" in his new role in the series.
After racing in F1 for over a decade, Grosjean's time in the championship came to an end with a horrific fireball crash at Bahrain. He then switched over to IndyCar and joined Dale Coyne Racing.
In his time with DCR, the 39-year-old claimed three podium finishes and a pole position, which was enough for Michael Andretti to tempt Romain Grosjean to join his team. However, this move did not yield a win as many had expected, leading to his final full-time stint with Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2024.
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The French-Swiss driver was unable to land a full-time drive for the 2025 season, and in the meantime, he was snubbed by PREMA Racing for their inaugural effort at IndyCar. Though he retains some involvement in the championship, this reduced role has made him feel like a spare quarterback, and said (via The Race):
"I'm excited to be involved in the championship. I think it's important to stay on top of what's happening. Of course, you're not driving, but you can see a lot of what's going on and where the series is going and what's happening and I still think that IndyCar has got a big development ahead of itself."
"So, having that in mind being on the sideline for now, the spare quarterback as you would say, and then we're going to be actively working on getting back as a primary quarterback," he added.
Grosjean's stint with JHR had six top-10 finishes, but this was unable to convince the team owners to give him an extension for the 2025 season.
What was the main culprit behind Romain Grosjean's IndyCar axing?
While many may suggest that the 39-year-old was unable to bag a full-time drive for 2025 due to his subpar performances, the story is seemingly way bigger than that. After switching from F1, adapting to a new category of cars took time for the former F1 driver.
Moreover, his 2024 campaign initially seemed a strong one as he recorded a fourth-place finish at Laguna Seca and looked set to continue this trend till the end of the year. However, the introduction of hybrid engines took a toll on Romain Grosjean's career as he barely scraped into the top-10 in the following races.
This was coupled with the increased costs for a team to run a charter, leading Grosjean to claim hybrids were the culprits for his axing, as he said (via The Race):
"I think last year was probably one of my best seasons, and I may end up not being in the grid next year, just because the marketing has been horrendous for IndyCar, the hybrid has brought the costs to a level that’s unbearable for teams, and that’s the way it is."
Romain Grosjean currently races in IMSA with Lamborghini in the GTP class.
