Grosjean – who has 1.4million followers on X, formerly known as Twitter – will join Canapino, the 33-year-old former Argentinian Touring Car sensation at Juncos-Holinger following his split with Andretti Autosport.
Canapino remains in the team’s Chevrolet-powered #78 entry for his second season in IndyCar after scoring a best finish of 12th at St Petersburg, Texas and Toronto in an impressive rookie year.
Following an incident at Long Beach between Canapino and his team-mate from last season Callum Ilott, many of the Argentine’s fans went on social media to not only rant about the situation, but some went so far as to issue death threats towards Ilott and his family.
When asked if he was aware of the scenario, which occurred for a second time after Canapino and Ilott touched wheels in the Laguna Seca finale, Grosjean told Autosport: “Yeah, I’ve seen that.
“Hopefully everything goes well, but I’m aware of what happened with Callum. It wasn’t ideal. I felt for him.
“If it happens to me, yeah, I just don’t go on social, keep doing my stuff. It was a bit of a shame that this kind of thing happens.
“There is a passionate fanbase in South America, and with that passion sometimes there are comments that are made that shouldn’t be. So, it’s important, I think, to keep our relationship good to avoid any situation happening.
“But if it does happen, we need to deal with it the best way we can. I think I’m pretty hater resistant!”
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
Agustín Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Grosjean says was impressed with Canapino’s rookie season, coming straight out of touring cars into America’s premier open-wheel series, and is looking forward to working alongside him in a team that only joined the IndyCar grid full-time for the final three races of 2021.
“Yeah, Agustin is a very impressive guy and I’m looking forward to spending more time with him,” said Grosjean.
“I think it’s the same as [former Supercars star] Scott McLaughlin, it’s so impressive when you see where he’s come from, and those guys both have a great mentality.
“I think he’s a very talented driver with a unique career. I can’t wait to spend some time with him.
“Also, when you think about how Canapino learned English so quickly to talk with the guys, and he’s clearly a very talented driver. I’m practicing my Spanish for him!
“So, I want to spend time with him and see what I can learn from him, because he definitely did some great stuff this year.”