Romain Grosjean is still hoping to step into a Mercedes Formula 1 car even as he starts his “exciting” new chapter in IndyCar.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed the former Haas driver will drive for Dale Coyne Racing in the American series, though will only compete on the road and street courses.
That decision, he admitted, was a consequence of his crash last year in Bahrain, where his car burst into flames as it broke in half, with the cockpit becoming wedged in the barrier.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to race in the United States in IndyCar,” Grosjean said.
“The IndyCar offers a much more balanced grid than I expected. I’ve been used to it during my career so far. It will be exciting to fight for podiums and victories again.
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“I had different options for the coming season and going IndyCar racing was really my favourite…although I’m not yet ready to race on the ovals!
“Much as I would love to win the Indy 500, they present a risk which is significant, and some of the crashes we’ve seen are massive.
“I’m not saying the drivers get hurt but still, they are driving cars at 210mph or more right next to each other, so it’s a risk. That’s the limiting factor compared with how I was before the accident in Bahrain.
“If I was 25 and I didn’t have kids I would do the whole season, no question,” he stated.
“But I’m a father of three, and for two minutes and 45 seconds in Bahrain, I know they thought they had lost their father.
“So if I was younger, yes, I would do it all and accept that all motorsport involves risks. But being a dad, I can’t put my family through that phase again.”
Grosjean also spoke of the appeal of IndyCar having watched over 18 hours of footage in recent months.
“Sexiness,” he told Motorsport Week of how Indy stood out compared to Formula E or WEC.
“It’s the most fun, exciting and competitive option I could think of right now. As I say, I’m super happy to be joining.
“After the accident [in Bahrain], there’s one thing I realize in life, is to have the choice to say no or yes. Really, I think IndyCar is a top series, top drivers, top cars, super exciting to drive.
“Will Power posted on Twitter a nice video from the helmet, testing in Sebring. Hearing the sound of the engine and watching the onboard, I just took the clip, sent it to my wife and said, ‘This is why I do it.’
“I felt like this is what I want to do. This is what I want to race. It looks mega. Let’s do it!”
At the same time, however, Grosjean isn’t completely ready to move on from F1.
After his crash last year, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was open to offering the Frenchman a test in one of their cars to ensure his last memory wasn’t of escaping the burning wreck, and Romain wants to hold the Austrian to that.
“I’m still very keen on jumping in the Mercedes F1 car for sure,” he said via Crash.net.
“It’s an offer that you cannot refuse, just for me to have an understanding of the taste of that car and how it was working. So yes, definitely [interested].
“At the minute I think they’re absolutely flat out in building the new car for the new season and understanding when it’s going to start and how it’s gonna go.
“I won’t phone Toto right now, but he can expect to get a phone call eventually, me asking to have a go at it. It could be absolutely beautiful.
“But also right now, I’m going to the US in 15 days and I’m going to spend some time there, and learn about IndyCar.
“So I just want to get the full IndyCar programme going before looking at other things.”