Romain Grosjean Bio
Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (born 17 April 1986) is a French and Swiss racing driver competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Lamborghini and serving as a reserve driver in the IndyCar Series for Prema. A familiar name in international motorsport, he is best known for his Formula One career between 2009 and 2020, during which he claimed multiple podium finishes, and for his survival of a fiery crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. Grosjean has rebuilt his career in North America, transitioning first to the IndyCar Series and later to sportscar racing.
Early Life and Background
Romain Grosjean was born in Geneva, Switzerland, to a Swiss father and a French mother. He is the great-grandson of Edgar Brandt, the founder of Brandt and a noted weapons designer, and the grandson of Fernand Grosjean, who won a silver medal in giant slalom at the 1950 World Ski Championship in Aspen. Raised between Swiss and French cultures, Grosjean grew up in a family that valued both athletic heritage and engineering tradition.
As a young man, Grosjean balanced a conventional education in Geneva with a developing passion for racing. Before his motorsport career took off, he worked at a bank in Geneva, an experience that grounded him in the everyday world of finance before he committed to the racing circuit. He graduated from karting into single-seater racing in 2003 under a Swiss license.
Path to NASCAR
Grosjean’s career has unfolded in open-wheel and sportscar categories rather than in stock car racing, and the inputs do not describe a verified path into NASCAR. He has, however, developed a strong presence in North American motorsport through the IndyCar Series, joining Dale Coyne Racing for the 2021 season and later racing for Andretti Autosport in 2022 and 2023, and for Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2024. His current move into the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Lamborghini keeps him active in the broader U.S. racing scene.
Romain Grosjean Career
Early Career (2003–2008)
Grosjean began his career in Formula LO in 2003, before moving to French Formula Renault in 2004 with SG Formula. He dominated the following season with 10 wins from 16 races, an early sign of his single-seater talent. He then progressed to the Formula 3 Euro Series, where he won the championship in 2007, beating fellow title contender Sébastien Buemi. A member of the Renault Sport Academy since 2006, Grosjean graduated to the GP2 Series in 2008 with ART Grand Prix, finishing fourth overall and claiming the Asia Series title that same year.
Auto GP and GP2 Success (2010–2011)
In June 2010, Grosjean made a return to single-seaters in the Auto GP Series, racing for DAMS. He dominated the round at Spa-Francorchamps, taking pole position, winning the feature race, and finishing second in the sprint event, then went on to win three more races to claim the title at Monza. He also raced in the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship that year, winning the opening Championship Race in Abu Dhabi and a second victory at Brno with Matech Competition, and made his Le Mans 24 Hours debut in a Ford GT1.
Returning to GP2 full-time with DAMS for 2011, Grosjean won the GP2 Asia Series by six points from Jules Bianchi, then took the GP2 main series title at the penultimate round at Spa-Francorchamps. These championship successes rebuilt his reputation and paved the way for his full-time return to Formula One.
Lotus Era (2012–2015)
Grosjean returned to Formula One in 2012 with Lotus F1 Team alongside Kimi Räikkönen. He took his maiden podium with third place at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, the first podium for a French driver since Jean Alesi in 1998, and added second place in Canada and third place in Hungary. At the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, his involvement in a multi-car pile-up at La Source led to a one-race ban, the first such penalty for a driver since Michael Schumacher in 1994.
In 2013, Grosjean achieved six further podiums and finished a career-best seventh in the World Drivers’ Championship. He was partnered by Pastor Maldonado in 2014 and 2015 and recorded his final Formula One podium with third place at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix. He also won the 2012 Race of Champions in Bangkok.
Haas F1 Team Era (2016–2020)
On 29 September 2015, it was announced that Grosjean would race for the new Haas F1 Team, partnering Esteban Gutiérrez for the 2016 season. In the team’s very first race, the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, Grosjean finished sixth to score Haas’ first championship points, becoming the first driver since 2002 to score on a debut team’s debut. He scored a fifth-place finish in Bahrain the following week and was voted Formula One’s first Driver of the Day.
Grosjean drove for Haas through the 2020 season, partnered with Kevin Magnussen from 2017 onwards. His best result in the Haas years was fourth place at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. In his final Formula One race, the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, his VF-20 split in half and caught fire after penetrating a metal crash barrier, an impact measured at 67 g. He was helped out by medical car driver Alan van der Merwe and medical delegate Ian Roberts and credited the halo device with saving his life.
Notable Races and Milestones
Grosjean’s signature tracks included Spa-Francorchamps, scene of his championship-clinching GP2 win, and Bahrain, where he took his first F1 podium in 2012 and survived his dramatic 2020 crash. His 2018 Austrian Grand Prix fourth place and his 2012 Race of Champions title stand as defining moments in his career.
Romain Grosjean Career Wins
Romain Grosjean’s career wins span karting, junior single-seaters, the GP2 Series, the Auto GP Series, and the FIA GT1 World Championship. His most celebrated successes were the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series title, the 2010 Auto GP championship, the 2011 GP2 Series and GP2 Asia Series titles, and the 2012 Race of Champions.
Formula One Highlights
Across 11 Formula One seasons, Grosjean recorded multiple podiums but no grand prix victories. His maiden podium came at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, and his final podium was third place at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix with Lotus. His best championship finish was seventh in 2013.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside Formula One, Grosjean won the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship round in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and added a second victory at Brno with Matech Competition. He also finished on the podium in IndyCar, taking pole position and second place at the 2021 Grand Prix of Indianapolis with Dale Coyne Racing.
Romain Grosjean Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Romain Grosjean comes from a family with deep roots in Swiss and French achievement. He is the great-grandson of Edgar Brandt, the French weapons designer and industrialist, and the grandson of Fernand Grosjean, an Olympic-level alpine skier who took silver in giant slalom at the 1950 World Ski Championship in Aspen. He is also a dual French and Swiss national, reflecting his parents’ heritage.
Personal Life
Grosjean married French journalist and television presenter Marion Jollès on 27 June 2012 in Chamonix. The couple had been together since 2008 and have three children, a son born in 2013, a son born on 16 May 2015, and a daughter born on 31 December 2017. After signing with Andretti Autosport for the 2022 IndyCar season, he and his family relocated from Geneva to Miami, Florida, drawn by French-language schools and direct flights to Paris. He is also a qualified pilot who shares flying videos on his YouTube channel.
2025 Season Performance
For 2025, Romain Grosjean is competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse, continuing the sportscar program he joined the previous year after four seasons in the IndyCar Series. He also holds a reserve driver role with Prema in the IndyCar Series, keeping a hand in American open-wheel racing.
Grosjean’s 2024 IndyCar campaign with Juncos Hollinger Racing marked his final full open-wheel season, and the transition to sportscars has allowed him to race prototypes and GT cars on a mix of circuits. His prior experience with the Lamborghini SC63 program at Iron Lynx in 2023 prepared him for the 2025 IMSA effort, which represents a new chapter for the French-Swiss driver.
On 26 September 2025, Grosjean drove a Haas VF-23 in a test at Mugello, marking his first time back in Formula One machinery since his 2020 Bahrain crash, a symbolic moment in a season focused on rebuilding his career in sportscar racing.
