Romain Grosjean experienced another moment of frustration this Sunday at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham, where he was just five laps away from securing his first IndyCar victory. The Dale Coyne Racing driver, who delivered a great performance, had to settle for second place after losing the lead during the final stages of the race.
After taking the lead at a key moment, Grosjean managed to build a three-second gap over title champion Alex Palou. However, a last-minute attack from Marcus Ericsson, who came in with high speed, tested the French driver’s resilience.
Grosjean, who was driving car number 18, acknowledged that the situation was complex in the final laps: ‘I knew we had to complete about 37 laps with the fuel we had, and when I saw Ericsson coming into the pits, I thought I wouldn’t be caught’. But Ericsson’s strategy proved decisive, and Grosjean ended up losing the race when the fuel and tires ran low.
The second place is the best he has achieved since 2023, but at the same time represents the sixth second place of his IndyCar career. His last victory was in GP2 in Hungary in 2011, a record that is starting to weigh him down. ‘I cried a bit’, Grosjean confessed, acknowledging the disappointment of such a long wait for a victory.
Despite the disappointment, the driver found solace in his team’s progress and his own performance. ‘Control what you can control’, he quoted a phrase from Andre Agassi that has helped him maintain perspective. He has his sights set on the next race, the Freedom 250, which promises to be another big challenge.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
