Andretti Autosport announced that Romain Grosjean will be joining the organization to pilot the No. 28 Dallara-Honda sponsored by DHL on a full-time basis for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season.
Grosjean, a 35-year-old Swiss-born French competitor, is currently campaigning on a part-time IndyCar basis for Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing. The 2021 season also marks his first season competing in the series.
Before transitioning to IndyCar, Grosjean spent nine full-time seasons in Formula One, where he achieved 10 podium results in 179 career starts and competed between two organizations (Lotus and Haas). Grosjean is also a former champion across multiple motorsports’ regions, including the GP2 Series in 2011, the Auto GP in 2010, the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2007 and the French Formula Renault in 2005. He has also achieved two GP2 Asia Series titles (2008 and 2011).
The 2022 season will mark Grosjean’s first full-time effort in the IndyCar Series, which will include the 106th annual running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 29. In addition, DHL, a partner of Andretti Autosport since 2011, will be remaining with the organization to support Grosjean’s effort as a key primary sponsor in the series. The upcoming IndyCar season is scheduled to commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg in Florida on February 27.
“We are thrilled to welcome Romain to the Andretti Autosport family,” Michael Andretti, CEO and chairman of Andretti Autosport, said. “He already had an impressive resume before coming to INDYCAR and watching what he’s been able to do in his rookie season here has been exciting, to say the least. His vast motorsport experience will be beneficial to the team alongside our already strong 2022 driver lineup. We also couldn’t be more excited to continue our strong partnership with DHL. The DHL sponsorship is one of the longest and most successful in the paddock, and we look forward to continued success on and off the track.”
“We couldn’t be happier to continue our successful partnership with Andretti Autosport, which has provided us with one of our most powerful avenues for connecting people to our global brand,” Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Americas, added. “The legendary Andretti organization is run by a winning team whose members we have long considered part of our DHL family, and now we are excited to also welcome their newest driver, Romain Grosjean, to our family. We are thrilled to have such a highly regarded international competitor taking the wheel to represent DHL, and we look forward to a fruitful partnership with Romain and the entire Andretti team, both on and off the track.”
In his first season in IndyCar competition, Grosjean has achieved three podium results, including two runner-up results at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (May and August) and a third-place result at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the series’ recent event. He also achieved his maiden pole position at the Indy Road Course in May. Having competed in 12 of 15 scheduled events thus far, Grosjean is scheduled to compete in this weekend’s IndyCar season finale in Long Beach, California.
“I’m delighted to be joining Andretti Autosport and driving the No. 28 DHL Honda for next season,” Grosjean said. “It’s a big honor to be joining such a great team as Andretti; anyone in the motorsport world knows the name Andretti. I’m super happy and proud to be racing with the team. I’m also very proud to be representing with DHL. I’ve known the DHL color on racing cars for a very long time. I couldn’t be more proud to represent such a great company in INDYCAR. I’m hoping that we are going to be very successful together, which is our aim on every side. I would like also to thank Dale Coyne Racing for giving me the opportunity to join INDYCAR. I’ve enjoyed the racing so much and it’s given me the change today to be racing with one of the most competitive and best teams in the world.”
Grosjean’s entrance to Andretti Autosport means that he will be replacing Ryan Hunter-Reay, a veteran and former champion of the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series. Grosjean will also be a teammate to Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi, both of whom will remain at Andretti for 2022.
