DCR hopeful of retaining Grosjean amid Andretti rumours

Dale Coyne Racing is hoping IndyCar rookie Romain Grosjean will remain with the outfit in 2022 as rumors of the Frenchman’s move to Andretti Autosport grow stronger.

After a nine-year tenure in Formula 1, the last five of which he spent at Haas, Grosjean reached a dead end but found refuge in the US with Dale Coyne Racing’s IndyCar outfit.

The 35-year-old has acquitted himself well in the American series, securing his first pole and podium finish at the GMR Grand Prix held on Indy’s road course back in May.

Grosjean’s performance have reportedly put him on the radar of several teams for 2022, including Andretti Autosport where long-standing incumbent Ryan Hunter-Reay is expected to depart Michael Andretti’s team.

But Dale Coyne is determined to make every effort to keep his current driver in his line-up for 2022.

“I think he’s happy with us, although I realise lots of people are looking at him right now,” Coyne told Autosport.

“We’ve done a good job for him, I think he understands that. We took a chance on him, he took a chance on us, and I think it’s worked out good for both of us and I hope that pays off for both of us in the end and we’re able to keep him next year.

“Andretti’s team is good, and I understand a driver wanting to go there but I think we’re doing a good job for him, too.”

Coyne underscored Grosjean’s speed in both qualifying and race trim, which he says points to the Frenchman being a very “complete” driver.

“He’s been quick everywhere we’ve run him, in qualifying and the race, which shows he’s pretty complete. But you need to have the car to get the job done, and I think he’s helped show that we’re pretty complete.

“He and Olivier [Boisson, race engineer] have good chemistry, and that’s throughout the team, everybody here.

“This team feels like a family, we’ve heard that from a lot of drivers, and they like that. And this family likes Romain and his family very much.

“So, we’re still talking and I hope we stay together.”

Read also: McLaren Racing acquires majority stake in IndyCar squad

But according to rumors in the IndyCar paddock this weekend in Nashville, DCR and Andretti Autosport might need to contend with Arrow McLaren SP as another team potentially interested in Grosjean’s talent.

Zak Brown announced on Sunday that McLaren Racing had increased its stake in its IndyCar joint venture with Schmidt Peterson Motorsport to a level where it will now call the shots as the outfit majority shareholder.

Brown confirmed in Nashville that the team will become a three-car outfit in 2022, while Grosjean is rumored to have been shortlisted by Arrow McLaren SP for 2022 along with his old friend and former Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen.

“This is very much a driver championship as much as it is a team [championship] – that’s what makes it so exciting,” said Brown.

“So we have to make sure that we get the right driver in the race car, and there’s not a lot of them on the market. We’ve got a very short list, and if we can land someone that we think is capable of winning we’ll go for it in ’22.”

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