Romain Grosjean Bio
Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (born 17 April 1986) is a French and Swiss racing driver who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Lamborghini. He is also serving as a reserve driver in the IndyCar Series for Prema Racing. Grosjean built a long career in Formula One between 2009 and 2020, recording ten podium finishes, and later transitioned to American open-wheel racing in the IndyCar Series from 2021 onward. He is widely remembered for surviving a dramatic fiery crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Grosjean holds dual French and Swiss nationality and has raced under the French flag throughout his career. He now resides in Miami, Florida, with his family. Over the years, he has become a respected figure in global motorsport, known for his speed, consistency, and openness about his personal journey.
Early Life and Background
Romain Grosjean was born on 17 April 1986 in Geneva, Switzerland, to a Swiss father and a French mother. He grew up surrounded by a family with deep sporting and industrial roots. He is the grandson of Fernand Grosjean, a silver medalist in giant slalom at the 1950 World Ski Championship in Aspen, and the great-grandson of Edgar Brandt, a French weapons designer and founder of Brandt.
From a young age, Grosjean was drawn to motorsport. He started karting before moving into junior single-seater racing. Before fully committing to a racing career, he worked at a bank in Geneva. His family supported his ambitions, and his early success in karting quickly opened the door to professional racing opportunities in Europe.
Path to NASCAR
Grosjean’s career has been built on open-wheel and sportscar racing, and he has never competed in NASCAR or its national series. After winning multiple junior championships in Europe, he debuted in Formula One with Renault in 2009 and later raced in IndyCar from 2021 to 2024. He currently contests the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Lamborghini and serves as a reserve driver for Prema Racing in IndyCar.
Romain Grosjean Career
Early Career (2003-2007)
Grosjean began his single-seater career by winning all ten rounds of the 2003 Formula Lista Junior championship. He moved to French Formula Renault in 2004, finishing seventh with one win, and dominated the 2005 season with ten victories from sixteen races. That success earned him a place in the Renault Driver Development programme.
He progressed to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2006, finishing thirteenth in his first full season before switching to ASM for 2007. With ASM, Grosjean won the Formula 3 Euro Series title in 2007 after a season-long battle with Sébastien Buemi. He also took pole for the prestigious Masters of Formula 3 race at Zolder, confirming his status as one of Europe’s most promising young drivers.
GP2 and Formula One Breakthrough (2008-2013)
Grosjean stepped up to the GP2 Series in 2008 with ART Grand Prix, finishing fourth overall and winning the inaugural GP2 Asia Series title. After a brief Formula One stint with Renault in 2009, he returned to GP2 in 2011 and won both the main GP2 Series and the GP2 Asia Series championships, cementing his return to the top level of single-seater racing.
He returned to Formula One full-time with Lotus in 2012, scoring his first podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix and finishing second in Canada. In 2013, he added several more podiums and finished a career-best seventh in the World Drivers’ Championship. He also won the 2012 Race of Champions in Bangkok, defeating Tom Kristensen in the Grand Final.
Haas Era (2016-2020)
Grosjean joined the new Haas F1 Team in 2016 and scored points on debut in Australia, helping the team celebrate a strong start. He continued with Haas through 2020, recording his best result with the team, a fourth-place finish at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. He also became a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association in 2017, replacing the retiring Jenson Button.
His Formula One career came to a dramatic end at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, when his car split in two and burst into flames after hitting a barrier. Grosjean escaped with second-degree burns and credited the halo device with saving his life. He missed the final two races of the season and underwent surgery for his injuries in December 2020.
Lamborghini Era (2023-Present)
After moving through IndyCar teams including Dale Coyne, Andretti Autosport, and Juncos Hollinger Racing, Grosjean joined Lamborghini in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2023. Driving the No. 63 entry for Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse, he began a new chapter in sportscar racing. He also took on reserve driver duties with Prema Racing in 2025 before announcing a return to Dale Coyne Racing for the 2026 IndyCar Series.
Driving Style and Strengths
Grosjean is known for his aggressive race craft, particularly on road and street courses, and for his ability to fight through traffic. He has shown strength in tyre management and one-stop strategies, as seen during his Lotus and Haas years. His adaptability was on full display in IndyCar, where he secured pole positions and podiums across multiple teams. He has also built strong relationships with engineers and spotters, contributing to consistent improvements on track.
Notable Races and Milestones
His maiden Formula One podium at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix marked the first podium for a French driver since Jean Alesi in 1998. His emotional third-place finish at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix was his last F1 podium and prompted him to admit he cried on the cool-down lap. In IndyCar, his pole and runner-up finish at the 2021 Grand Prix of Indianapolis announced his arrival in American racing. His survival of the 2020 Bahrain crash remains one of the most remarkable moments in modern motorsport.
Romain Grosjean Career Wins
Grosjean has accumulated an impressive collection of titles and victories across open-wheel and sportscar racing. He is a multi-time champion in junior formulae, including the 2005 French Formula Renault, the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series, and the 2011 GP2 Series and GP2 Asia Series. He also won the 2010 Auto GP Series and the 2012 Race of Champions.
Formula One Highlights
Grosjean made 179 starts in Formula One, scoring ten podium finishes and 391 career points without a victory. His first podium came at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, and his final one was the emotional third place at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix. He earned one fastest lap during his career and became the first driver to receive a race ban in eighteen years after the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix pile-up.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside Formula One, Grosjean won races in the FIA GT1 World Championship, including the opening round in Abu Dhabi in 2010. He also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010 and 2024, and took part in the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Myers Riley Motorsports in a Ford Mustang GT3. In IndyCar, he recorded six podiums and three pole positions across his time with Dale Coyne, Andretti, and Juncos Hollinger.
Romain Grosjean Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Grosjean comes from a family with a strong sporting and industrial heritage. His maternal great-grandfather, Edgar Brandt, was a renowned French weapons designer and founder of Brandt. His paternal grandfather, Fernand Grosjean, was an Olympic-level alpine skier and 1950 World Championship silver medalist. This family background helped shape his competitive mindset and passion for sport.
Personal Life
Grosjean married French journalist and television presenter Marion Jollès on 27 June 2012 in Chamonix, and the couple has been together since 2008. They have three children, a son born in 2013, another son born in 2015, and a daughter born in 2017. After committing to a full-time IndyCar schedule, the family relocated to Miami, drawn by French-language schools and easy travel to Paris. Grosjean is also a qualified pilot who shares flying content on his YouTube channel.
2025 Season Performance
In 2025, Grosjean took on a new role as reserve driver for the incoming Prema Racing team in the IndyCar Series. This position allowed him to stay connected to top-level American open-wheel racing while balancing his sportscar commitments with Lamborghini. His experience and pace made him a valuable asset for the team during its debut season.
Alongside his reserve duties, Grosjean continued to compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse in the No. 63 car. His sportscar program remained a key part of his racing calendar, with a focus on endurance events and adapting to GT machinery.
Looking ahead, Grosjean is set to return to full-time IndyCar competition in 2026 with Dale Coyne Racing, marking a second stint with the team where his American racing story began. With his dual program in IMSA and IndyCar, his 2025 season served as a bridge year, building momentum and preparing for a busy campaign on both sides of the Atlantic.
