Grosjean gets first Indycar tests

Ex-formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean feels that he’s learning what it takes to be fast in an Indycar after his first two days of testing with his new team Dale Coyne Racing.

The 34-year-old Frenchman got his first taste of Indycar action in DCR’S Hondapowered car at Barber Motorsports Park last week. A spin into the sandtrap at the tricky downhill Turn 1 caused him to lose some track time as repairs were carried out, and he finished the day last, albeit within one second of the pacesetter, Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing.

Grosjean then took part in an eight-car test at Laguna Seca on Monday this week. He was less than 0.25s behind the Chevroletengined Arrow Mclaren SP machine of Pato O’ward, who topped the times, and just a couple of hundredths slower than his

DCR team-mate Ed Jones.

“It’s only testing and there were only seven other cars here, so it’s great that we’re in the game, but I’m not reading too much into it,” Grosjean told Autosport. “The important thing is that we definitely learned a lot and I’m definitely getting better. I think we’ve made some progress. I’m starting to understand the car better.

“If I’m honest, it’s very different from Formula 1, the way you drive it. But I’m getting up to speed and feeling more confident in it, more comfortable. We made a fair amount of set-up changes and I felt how they work, so we’re getting there.”

Grosjean, who will compete in all 13 of Indycar’s road and street course events for Coyne, is expected to get one more day of testing, at Sebring, before the season opener at Barber Motorsports Park on 18 April.