Grosjean feels at home in a race car again after IndyCar debut

Romain Grosjean ended his 2020 Formula One season with a terrible crash in Bahrain. After spending time in hospital and a total of 86 days without touching a steering wheel, he drove his first laps in an IndyCar test last Tuesday. Preparing for his debut in the IndyCar series in the United States made him feel right at home, but it takes some getting used to for the Frenchman.

Grosjean drove his first laps in an IndyCar last Tuesday at Barber Motorsports Park. In an interview with Motorsport.com, the former Formula One driver talks about his first laps after miraculously escaping death during the Formula One race in Bahrain. Grosjean drove 83 laps in his new car, from the Dale Coyne Racing, and remarked afterwards that he is not yet the old one.

"It's not ideal. On my left hand there's still a big blister and taking the gloves off isn't really pleasant, so especially on the left, I'm keeping my glove on a bit more often. This morning in my last run I also had quite a moment of oversteer and that wasn't very pleasant, but I expected that. My hands have not completely recovered and it is still a bit sensitive, but otherwise, it does not bother me. It doesn't hurt during it."

Grosjean not only has to get used to the physical part of the car

Grosjean is not only suffering from discomfort due to his injuries after the crash in Bahrain. The new car also caused some challenges during the test day. Grosjean realises that an IndyCar drives very differently from a Formula One car and that races in this category are very different from those in his old career.

"This car has no power steering and that takes some getting used to. After my first run, I already felt my biceps and thought 'Okay, now we're talking!' In Formula 1 you get your speed mainly from aerodynamics, but here it's all about mechanical grip. So I can see why the races are so good here. You really have a good feeling with the car. You can use your driving style a little bit more here, for example, by playing with your brakes and your steering. You can drive several lines in a corner, wherein Formula 1 you are often found to one ideal line. So it's a bit of an adjustment, this drives very different from Formula 1. I still have to work on that."

Grosjean makes a promising start during IndyCar test days

Grosjean will start next season's IndyCar in a relatively small team under the Dale Coyne Racing banner, where he received a warm welcome. Ahead of the upcoming races, the Frenchman is now driving test races so he will be away from home for a while. The helmet his children designed for his last race in F1, he now wears during his IndyCar adventure.

His first test laps clocked him less than a second behind the fastest driver Rinus 'Veekay' van Kalmthout, who managed to complete a total of 105 laps. Next week, Grosjean will drive another test at the Laguna Seca circuit.