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Get to know Romain Grosjean

Get To Know: Romain Grosjean

Racing is in Romain Grosjean’s genes. Well, snow pants, more specifically. His Dad’s Dad was an Olympian, after all.

Fernand Grosjean rode his alpine skis all over the world. The ‘48 Olympics in his home country. The ‘52 Olympics in Norway. The World Championships in Aspen. There was Fernand, and his need for speed.

Innovation is in Romain Grosjean’a genes. Well, trying to be fast as a speeding bullet, more specifically. His Mom’s Grandpa was a weapons inventor, after all.

Edgar Brandt was a French ironworker who built the stairs in the Louvre. At the outset of World War I he designed mortars for trench warfare, developments that were used widely into the second World War.

Driving and family go hand in hand for Romain Grosjean. It’s how he introduced his wife and their 3 children to the United States. He’s got

dual citizenship in Switzerland and France, but he wanted to do what an American Dad would do.

So he got an RV, packed up the kids, and took to the open American road. Truck stops. Campgrounds. Fast food restaurants. The Grosjean’s jaunt through the upper midwest saw it all- soaking in late summer of 2021.

He surely thought about it as he passed by the guardrails. Thought about the time he split one in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. His car burst into flames, his F1 season up in smoke. He walked away nearly unscathed, but couldn’t entirely wipe his hands of the horror. Their burn scars still serve as a reminder.

Romain Grosjean has survived some stuff.

His F1 contract wasn’t renewed, but the fire still burned. He had an opportunity to spend the 2021 IndyCar season with Dale Coyne, and, after a season that netted 5 Top 10s, signed with Andretti Autosport for this year.

He knows you know. He knows you know about the fiery crash and his role in an F1 reality show. He knows you’re curious how he’ll fare.

He blocks out the noise.

Perhaps it’s by listening to Bruno Mars, or perhaps he gets lost in his own thoughts. They may be in French, German, Italian or English- although he knows if it’s English it may be a dream. That’s the language in which he dreams. It’s how Romain Grosjean knows he’s fluent. Once he wakes from a dream, he starts his day with bread, butter and jam.

For now, Romain Grosjean dreams of making IndyCar the 6th racing series in which he’s won a championship. He could soak that in while on his dream vacation in Mauritius.

The man who once thought he’d be an engineer has been to hell in a race car and thought it was all down hill from there. Yet he took the steps to find more fire in the mortar.

Just as he was designed to do.

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