‘LUCKY’ Romain Grosjean has announced he will join Dale Coyne Racing as a reserve driver, keeping him in touch with the IndyCar world. At the same time, he continues to compete part-time in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Lamborghini Squadra Corse.
In a twist of fate that echoes his remarkable survival from one of motorsport’s most harrowing crashes, Romain Grosjean—affectionately dubbed “Lucky” by fans—has signed on as a reserve driver for Dale Coyne Racing ahead of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. The announcement, teased by insiders for weeks and confirmed just days after the conclusion of his 2025 IMSA commitments, marks a sentimental homecoming for the Franco-Swiss veteran. Grosjean first burst onto the American open-wheel scene with Coyne’s team in 2021, delivering instant results that included a pole position and two podiums despite limited preparation. Now, after a year on the sidelines in IndyCar, this role ensures he remains tethered to the series that reignited his passion post-Formula 1.
The timing couldn’t be more poignant. Grosjean wrapped up his 2025 IMSA campaign with a career-best fourth-place finish at the Motul Petit Le Mans on October 12, sharing the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63 with Edoardo Mortara and Daniil Kvyat. The result was a bittersweet capstone to Lamborghini’s GTP program, which the Italian marque has placed “on hold” for 2026 amid shifting priorities. “We were so close to the podium—maybe even the win—if a late caution had fallen our way,” Grosjean reflected in a post-race interview, his voice laced with the quiet determination that has defined his career. The Lamborghini’s pace at Road Atlanta, where Grosjean logged over 400 on-track passes across the season, underscored the progress made since the SC63’s debut. Yet, with the factory effort pausing, Grosjean’s focus pivots back to IndyCar, where his reserve duties with Coyne will involve simulator work, testing support, and readiness to step in for the team’s full-time lineup.
This move completes a puzzle that began assembling earlier in the year. After losing his full-time seat at Juncos Hollinger Racing following the 2024 season—a campaign he called one of his most rewarding despite a 17th-place championship finish—Grosjean spent 2025 in a reserve capacity with the newcomer Prema Racing. There, he lent his four seasons of IndyCar experience to drivers Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman, helping the Italian powerhouse navigate its inaugural grid entry. “Prema was a great learning curve for everyone, but I missed the adrenaline of race day,” Grosjean admitted in January. The reserve role kept his reflexes sharp through private tests and data analysis, but whispers of a Coyne reunion grew louder as the 2025 season progressed. IndyCar pundit Conor Daly, a frequent collaborator with the team, went as far as to declare it “all but locked in” during a September podcast appearance, citing owner Todd Ault’s admiration for Grosjean as a key factor.
Dale Coyne Racing, known for punching above its weight with savvy driver pairings and Honda backing, now boasts a potent roster for 2026. The team already secured 2025 Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger in September, the Norwegian prodigy completing his maiden IndyCar test at Mid-Ohio with promising lap times. Paired with Grosjean’s veteran insight, Hauger gains an invaluable mentor—one who navigated the series’ diverse ovals, road courses, and street circuits during his own rookie year. “Romain’s return feels like closing a circle,” said team principal Dale Coyne in a statement. “He brought magic to us in 2021, and having him in the fold again will elevate our preparation.” The arrangement allows Grosjean to balance his commitments without the grind of a 17-race calendar, freeing him to pursue select IMSA events if opportunities arise post-Lamborghini hiatus.
Grosjean’s journey to this juncture is a testament to resilience. Born in Geneva in 1986, he rose through karting to claim the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series title before a turbulent Formula 1 stint from 2009 to 2020. Nine seasons yielded flashes of brilliance—seven podiums with Lotus, including a daring 2012 Bahrain charge—but were overshadowed by collisions that earned him the “First Lap Nutcase” moniker. The pinnacle of his redemption arc came at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix: a 137g impact into the barriers ignited a fireball that engulfed his Haas VF-1 for 28 seconds. Emerging with burns to his hands and ankles, Grosjean later quipped, “I was born to be lucky.” That inferno, captured in his poignant book Lucky and Netflix documentary, not only ended his F1 chapter but redirected him stateside, where IndyCar’s family-like atmosphere and technical purity won him over.
His 2021 debut with Coyne was electric. Thrust into the No. 51 Honda after just three test days, Grosjean stunned the paddock with pole at the Indianapolis road course and runner-up finishes at those Indy GP and Gateway. “IndyCar is raw, unforgiving, and incredibly rewarding,” he said then, adapting swiftly to the DW12 chassis’s hybrid demands. Subsequent full seasons with Andretti Global (13th in 2022 and 2023) and Juncos (best of 10th at St. Petersburg in 2024) honed his oval prowess, though superspeedways like Texas remained a calculated risk. Off the track, Grosjean’s life in Florida with wife Marion and their three children has deepened his U.S. roots, blending family hikes with simulator sessions.
Yet, it’s his IMSA foray that highlights Grosjean’s versatility. Joining Lamborghini Squadra Corse as a factory driver in 2023, he debuted at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Huracán GT3 before graduating to the LMDh SC63 in 2024. The 2025 Michelin Endurance Cup saw him share duties with a rotating cast including Mirko Bortolotti, Mortara, and Kvyat, amassing standout drives like leading laps at Watkins Glen amid rain-slicked chaos. “Sportscars demand teamwork like no other series—it’s chess at 200 mph,” Grosjean noted after a seventh at The Glen. The Petit Le Mans charge, where the trio cycled to the front through strategic brilliance only to falter on a final energy splash, left Grosjean philosophical. “Fourth is progress, but it stings when victory slips away.”
As 2026 looms, Grosjean’s dual-path strategy—reserve in IndyCar, selective in IMSA—positions him for longevity. At 39, he’s far from fading; his 400-plus passes this IMSA year rival the aggression of drivers half his age. Fans and peers alike see this as a bridge to potential full-time IndyCar revival or even a Le Mans tilt. “Romain’s story isn’t done—it’s just evolving,” said Ilott, his Prema stablemate. For the man who walked from flames, staying connected to racing’s pulse is no small mercy. In an era of fleeting seats, Grosjean’s luck endures, fueled by talent and tenacity.
