Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) hopes Romain Grosjean sees that they have a good thing going, and stays beyond the 2024 IndyCar Series season. But it's far from guaranteed right now.
"He is one of those people from whom one learns a lot," team co-owner Ricardo Juncos told Motorsport.com. "But well, right now we don't know if we will be able to continue with him or not.”
“He already has offers from other places. There are many drivers around, and there are some options — that are not many yet — with free seats for next year."
Grosjean joined JHR during the offseason, and through 13 races so far has managed to capture five top-10s — the most for JHR since becoming a full-time team in IndyCar in 2022. Plus the Swiss-born Frenchman notched the team’s highest result this year, with a fourth-place finish at Laguna Seca in June.
Amid the drama surrounding JHR’s second seat (which led to a recent switch from Agustin Canapino to Conor Daly for the rest of the season), Juncos has been grateful for the stability and professionalism Grosjean provides.
“Grosjean is a driver who brings a lot, a lot of experience," Juncos said. "This year has really been very good to work with him. The truth is that he sets the bar high. He is simple, with a lot of personality. He puts it in black and white, as I like. He is very affectionate with people, especially with the mechanics. It is as if the team is not divided.
“Beyond the fact that the results do not come sometimes, communication is very important and it is very important that the whole group understands what happened: if it was a tire problem, if it was an engine problem, if it was a strategy problem, if it was the driver who made a mistake, if it was the car that did not work, or if the set-up was not right."
Continuity is something Juncos would love to carry into 2025 — especially when it comes with Grosjean’s deep experience, which includes 179 Formula 1 starts before he joined IndyCar in 2021.
“Yes, I think he is very happy with the team in general, with everything he says,” said Juncos.
“I hope that we can somehow continue because I always believe that long-term programs are the ones that will perform best, as long as one can continue.”
