The Swiss-born Frenchman’s exit from Andretti Autosport is inevitable at season’s end, as reported by NBC Sports, while Grosjean also shared that discussions with other teams have taken place.
After making 179 starts in F1 from 2009-2020, Grosjean moved to IndyCar in 2021 and ran a partial season with Dale Coyne Racing, earning three podiums – including two runner-up results – in 13 starts.
A full-time switch to Andretti Autosport in 2022 has yet to produce that elusive first win in North America’s premier open-wheel championship, with only three podiums – all second-place results – in 33 races together.
Sources told Autosport that Grosjean was seen coming out of Dale Coyne Racing’s trailer earlier in the weekend. The team owner confirmed conversations with Grosjean have taken place.
“Yes,” Coyne said, “but you could ask me any other driver and the answer would be yes.”
When asked if he would be open to a reunion with Grosjean, Coyne replied: “Sure, yeah.”
Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images
Where a possible return becomes possible is the imminent departure of David Malukas, who shared on Friday that backing from HMD Trucking, a company founded by his father, Henry Malukas, will not be going with him.
“From my end, yeah, we will be splitting parts with HMD,” said Malukas, whose most likely destination in 2024 is the Arrow McLaren ride that was tabbed for Alex Palou.
“It will a little bit,” Coyne said. “It will, but we knew that. That’s fine.”
Alex Palou, Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh Honda
Photo by: Barry Cantrell / Motorsport Images
Coyne has been a starting point for several drivers in the series, including two-time IndyCar champion Palou, who raced for the team in 2020 before joining Chip Ganassi Racing.
“We like it when somebody leaves here and goes to a better field because it shows that we can groom them,” Coyne said. “If they can do a good job here, hopefully they do a good job when they go to another team.
“Alex Palou’s a great example; came here, proved himself, won the championship the following year. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
“You know, Romain probably had a better year with us than he had with Andretti. So, we think it’s good when a guy moves up the ladder, for sure.”