Former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean will make the switch to IndyCar for 2021 after signing a deal to compete for Dale Coyne Racing, it was announced on Wednesday.
Grosjean had been rumoured to be looking towards IndyCar for the next step of his career once it became clear that he would not be retained by the Haas Formula 1 team for 2021.
The former F1 veteran will be behind the wheel of the No.51 entry which is the full-time entry backed by Rick Ware Racing in a deal which was finalised last week.
The Frenchman had repeatedly expressed his desire to continue racing even in the aftermath of his high-speed crash in Bahrain last November, which left him with burns to both hands, and forced him to sit out the final two rounds of 2020.
The 2011 GP2 champion has to make the decision as to whether he will only compete on the road and street courses due to the added danger presented by racing on ovals.
“I’m very excited for this opportunity to race in the United States in the NTT IndyCar Series,” expressed the 34-year-old Grosjean.
“I had different options in front of me for this coming season and choosing to go IndyCar Racing was definitively my favourite one. Although, I’m not ready yet to take on the ovals! IndyCar has a much more level playing field than what I have been used to in my career so far. It will be exciting to challenge for podiums and wins again.
“My left hand is still healing, but we are just about ready to get back into the race car and to start this next chapter of my career.”
Grosjean is only set to have a couple days of testing ahead of the opening round of the championship at Barber Motorsports Park on April 18, giving him limited time in which to get up to speed with the team.
Grosjean joins other talented newcomers in the 2021 IndyCar season, including seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and three-time Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin, who have joined Ganassi and Penske respectively.
“We’ve been talking to Romain for some time now, even before his accident at Bahrain,” commented Team Owner Dale Coyne.
“He has shown interest in the NTT IndyCar Series for the past several months and we’re very happy that he has chosen to pursue his career with us and excited to welcome a driver with his pedigree to America, the Series and our team. We feel that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the Series.”
Both drivers that raced full-time with DCR last season have moved on to other commitments, with Alex Palou having been signed by Chip Ganassi Racing for his sophomore season and Santino Ferrucci exiting the series to run part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Grosjean is the second driver to sign for DCR ahead of the 2021 campaign, after Ed Jones announced his IndyCar return with the team last week.
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