Romain Grosjean ended the IndyCar season frustrated that he couldn’t secure a better result at the Music City Grand Prix, despite having a lot of pace in his car.
The Juncos Hollinger Racing team improved dramatically throughout the 2024 season, and showed a lot more pace in the final rounds.
Epitomised by an emphatic maiden podium secured by Conor Daly at the Milwaukee Mile, they managed to secure £760,000 ($1 million) in prize money with both cars to finishing inside the leaders’ circle.
It was down to that third place that Daly was able to get the number 72 car inside that threshold – possibly handing himself a chance at a full-time return to IndyCar in 2025 in doing so.
Romain Grosjean annoyed at Pietro Fittipaldi for slamming the door shut
Grosjean came incredibly close to being the one to secure that podium for them back at Laguna Seca, but finished fourth and fell agonisingly short.
The Frenchman has been offered a contract to return to the team for next year, but is weighing up his options elsewhere for now and is yet to make a decision.
Speaking on his YouTube channel about the Nashville finale, he shared his displeasure at rival Pietro Fittipaldi for a bold move around the outside which cost him some time.
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“It’s really annoying because the spot that I worked so hard to gain [I lost],” he said.
“Fittipaldi really closed the door on me, oh boy, yeah that’s not great. Last lap move. You lose the momentum and two spots gone.”
How does first win continue to allude Grosjean?
Grosjean has spent four seasons in IndyCar now, picking up six podiums and coming close to victory on so many occasions.
It just hasn’t quite fallen into place for the Frenchman though, and while he’s at Juncos Hollinger, it’s hard to see him challenging for the top step regularly.
It could be part of the reason why he hasn’t made a decision on his future yet, with seats at Chip Ganassi Racing and a few other teams still up for grabs.
PREMA could be an interesting option for the Frenchman, with their debut season coming soon which will need a driver with experience and the know-how when it comes to setting up a fast car.
Wherever he goes, at the age of 38, he may not have too many of his best years yet, making his next move an important one, and the time he is taking to make that decision understandable.