From the beaches of Florida to the Arizona desert, it’s just a short step, or rather a week between two rounds of…IndyCar ! For Romain GrosjeanThe two experiences could not have been more different: St. Petersburg, where he finished eighth in the first round of the season, and Phoenix, where he failed to start on Saturday. Qualifying in twentieth position, two places ahead of his teammate Dennis Hauger, the French driver already encountered problems during the final free practice session.
While his rivals were able to complete numerous laps in race setup and within the pack, the “phoenix” Grosjean was only able to complete about a dozen laps, due to a mechanical problem already affecting his Dallara-Honda. The following day, as the second race of the season was about to begin, the car No. 18 simply could not get off the starting grid, due to a clutch problem.
While, unlike in a conventional car, this feature isn’t necessary for shifting gears on the track, it’s still crucial for starting from the pit lane, whether during a pit stop or at the start of a race. It’s also not located on a pedal in the driver’s cockpit, but on a paddle behind the steering wheel. The Dale Coyne Racing team spent the entire beginning of the race trying to resolve the issue, without success.
This could deprive the former driver of Formula 1 Numerous laps before continuing the season on the streets of Arlington, Texas. This weekend, IndyCar is organizing its first-ever race that will wind its way between the stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys, the American football franchise, and the Texas Rangers, the baseball team. A new experience for the field, and especially for Romain Grosjean, who only signed with Dale Coyne’s team (for which he already drove in 2021) two weeks before the start of the season.
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