Grosjean taking advice from ex-F1 racer Ericsson on potential IndyCar switch

Romain Grosjean says he has been speaking to former Formula 1 rival Marcus Ericsson for advice as he weighs up his options for next season, with a switch to IndyCar being considered.

Grosjean has been left without a drive for 2021 after Haas decided to revise its driver line-up for next season, with the Frenchman’s F1 career set to come to a conclusion at the end of the year with a lack of seats left on the grid.

Since finding out he would not be retained by Haas, Grosjean has been holding talks with several IndyCar teams about a possible move to the United States for 2021.

"Some of the teams are fully booked, but there are opportunities left,” Grosjean said. “Looking at what we can do, how we can do it, I think there are some wish from both sides to make it happen, which is nice, and some good challenges.

“If you look at Penske or Chip Ganassi, which I guess are the two top teams, they’re fully booked, but you would not necessarily expect to land on one of those seats for the first year before going to IndyCar, I think you need to prove you can race in that series.

"I’ve been speaking with Simon Pagenaud, also Marcus Ericsson, he has been really helpful, he knows Europe, GP2, F1 and now he knows the US, like Simon, I think it’s good, let’s see what’s coming.

“I’m hoping in the next few days, then we can look at details and so on, but I think motorsports is changing generally but I wouldn’t be surprised that drivers around the world needs to have a sponsor that wants to follow them.

“Jimmie Johnson is a good example in IndyCar, but also others where you represent an image and a company behind the image is happy that you are represented and move forward.”

Grosjean explained how a potential move to the United States could impact his family, stressing it is something he is taking into consideration.

“I’ve got a wife and three kids and it’s not like I was a youngster that can just jump in a plane with a backpack and not look behind me,” he said. “Obviously there are some considerations there.

“The pros of IndyCar is everyone pretty much has the same cars apart from the dampers and two types of engines, the races are pretty fun, there’s good opportunities  to win the race or to be on a podium.

“The cons is obviously I don’t really know much about motorsports in the US. The tracks look cool it’s a very good championship and I think there’s more pros than cons but obviously the lifestyle and where we live and what we do with the kids and their education and  their future is very high on the priority list.”

Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen is also interested in a switch to IndyCar, though the Dane admitted such a move is unlikely for 2021 due to a lack of available seats and personal sponsorship backing.

“IndyCar is something very high on my list and I’ve always been a fan,” Magnussen said. “I’d love to try it, it’s a challenge that I’d really get really excited about.

“A lot of new things but I’ve always found oval tracks to be something that I think is spectacular, very different to what I’ve ever done in my career, we don’t really do ovals in Europe.

“I’ve been speaking with teams and seeing what is possible. We’re a little bit late in the year, so a lot of teams have already got drivers for the future. I don’t think it looks likely for next year for sure.”