In his first season in the category, Grosjean took on a program focused exclusively on the 12 circuit races, with Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi taking his place in the prestigious Indianapolis 500 and in the two 300 and 375-mile races in Texas. . However, the former Formula 1 driver I had left the door open from the beginning to compete in the fourth and last oval event of the year, which will take place precisely in Gateway on August 22, due to its most favorable characteristics for a novice with no previous experience in discipline.
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Although there has yet to be an official announcement by the team or the driver, Dale Coyne confirmed in Motorsport.com that Grosjean will compete in the Gateway 500, in turn retaining for this event a Pietro Fittipaldi who will participate in # 52 in which Cody Ware and Ryan Norman have already been uploaded this year. “We will test Romain at Gateway because we absolutely intend to race there with him next month,” Coyne said. There will be a few cars with him, so you can roll on your own and when you are more comfortable we can put you in traffic so that I begin to learn what dirty air really is.
Unlike the superspeedways of Indianapolis and Texas, where speeds in excess of 360 kilometers per hour are averaged, the gateway uses the short oval configuration, with ailerons and power similar to those seen on road circuits. With a length of 2,012 meters, a maximum cant of 11º and two curves of different radii, the second of which cannot be taken fully, speeds are noticeably lower. Compared to Indianapolis’ averages of more than 230 miles per hour (370 kilometers per hour), the best laps at Gateway are around 182 mph (292 km / h).
Therefore, this year being the only short oval after the (possibly) temporary departure from Iowa, this is the ideal setting for Grosjean’s first contact, although it will not be exempt at all. «It is also a good test because we will try day and night, from mid-afternoon to eleven o’clock at night, “Coyne added,” so that it will give you a good experience of how a track evolves, and the different load levels that you will notice in hot conditions or at night. It should be a good experience for a newbie.
In the test, in addition to his teammate Ed jones, Grosjean will share the track with Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe, the four full-time Andretti Autosport drivers, as well as a Scott McLaughlin He maintains his usual pre-event testing schedule in his first year as a Penske driver. The team leader and driver will complete the list of participants Ed carpenter, your full time pilot Rinus VeeKay and the duo of AJ Foyt Racing, with Sébastien Bourdais and Dalton Kellett.
The step that Grosjean has taken, coupled with his good overall performance so far, has fueled the rumor mill about the possibility that the French rider will end up in a training with more resources in 2022, with Andretti Autosport being one of the most suggested destinations with at least one driver change in his immediate future. As for Coyne, the veteran crew chief (who debuted in 1984 as a driver of his own cars) is more than willing to try to keep him for a second season, while an expansion of the third-car program is considered.
«Many people have spoken with Romain, but neither party has decided anything. He has performed very well this year, really well, so it’s not a surprise that he catches the eye, is it? ”Says Coyne de Grosjean, who took pole and a podium at the Indy GP, finishing in the top 10 in three races and five classifications out of seven possible. “Like other promising drivers we have had in the past. It is something to be expected. But there is no one more interested in him than us. You have done a great job; He is a great personality, and a very nice guy who has enjoyed IndyCar from the moment he arrived »