Romain Grosjean facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Romain Grosjean
Grosjean in 2024
Born	Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (1986-04-17) 17 April 1986 (age 39) Geneva, Switzerland
Spouse(s)	Marion Jollès ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	3
Relatives	Fernand Grosjean (grandfather) Edgar Brandt (great-grandfather)
IMSA SportsCar Championship career
Debut season	2023
Current team	Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse
Car no.	63
Former teams	Iron Lynx
Starts	6
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Poles	0
Fastest laps	1
Best finish	22nd in 2023
IndyCar Series career
64 races run over 4 years
Team(s)	Reserve Driver (Prema Racing)
Best finish	13th (2022, 2023)
First race	2021 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Birmingham)
Last race	2024 Music City Grand Prix (Nashville Superspeedway)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 6 3
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	French
Active years	2009, 2012–2020
Teams	Renault, Lotus, Haas
Car number	8
Entries	181 (179 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	10
Career points	391
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	2009 European Grand Prix
Last entry	2020 Bahrain Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2010, 2024
Teams	Matech, Lamborghini
Best finish	13th (2024)
Class wins	0
Previous series
2008–2011 2008, 2011 2010 2010 2006–2007 2004–2005 2004–2005 2003	GP2 Series GP2 Asia Series FIA GT1WC Auto GP F3 Euro Series Formula Renault Eurocup French Formula Renault Formula Lista Junior
Championship titles
2011 2008, 2011 2010 2007 2005 2003	GP2 Series GP2 Asia Series Auto GP F3 Euro Series French Formula Renault Formula Lista Junior

Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (born 17 April 1986) is a racing driver from France and Switzerland. He currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Lamborghini. Romain raced in Formula One from 2009 to 2020. He also competed in the IndyCar Series from 2021 to 2024.

Romain was born and grew up in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is Swiss, and his mother is French. His grandfather, Fernand Grosjean, was an Olympic alpine skier. His great-grandfather, Edgar Brandt, was a famous weapons designer. Romain first raced under a Swiss license. In 2005, he won the French Formula Renault championship. He then joined the Renault Sport Academy. He became the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series champion in 2007. In 2008, he won the first-ever GP2 Asia Series championship. He also finished fourth in his first year in GP2.

In 2009, Romain made his Formula One debut with Renault. He finished fourth again in GP2, even though he missed the last eight races. After leaving Renault, he returned to junior racing. He won the Auto GP championship in 2010. He also won the GP2 Asia Series and the GP2 Series in 2011. He was the first and only driver to win both GP2 Asia and the main GP2 series titles at the same time.

In 2012, Romain returned to Formula One with the Lotus F1 Team. His teammate was Kimi Räikkönen. He earned his first Formula One podium at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix. He also set his first fastest lap in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. In 2013, he stayed with Lotus and achieved six more podium finishes. He continued with Lotus in 2014 and 2015. He got another podium at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix. Then, he moved to the Haas F1 Team from 2016 to 2020. In his last Formula One race, Romain survived a huge crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. His car broke in half and caught fire. He had minor burns and said the halo safety device saved his life.

After the 2020 Formula One season, Romain moved to the IndyCar Series. He earned his first pole position and podium in his third race, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Early Life and Family

Romain Grosjean was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is Swiss, and his mother is French. He is the great-grandson of Edgar Brandt, who was a weapon designer. Romain is also the grandson of skier Fernand Grosjean. Fernand won a silver medal in giant slalom at the 1950 World Ski Championship.

Early Racing Career

Romain won all ten races in the 2003 Formula Lista Junior championship. In 2004, he moved to the French Formula Renault championship. He finished seventh that year with one win. In 2005, he became champion with ten victories. He also raced in the Formula Renault Eurocup and finished on the podium twice. Because of his success, Romain joined the Renault Driver Development programme.

Formula Three Racing

Romain first raced in Formula Three at the 2005 Macau Grand Prix. He finished ninth in that race.

In 2006, he had a tough year in the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series. He only got one podium finish and ended up 13th. However, in a special race in the 2006 British Formula Three Championship, he started first and won both races.

He stayed in the Formula 3 Euro Series for 2007 and joined the ASM team. This team had helped other famous drivers win titles before. Romain won the championship at the final race of the year.

He also started first in the important Masters of Formula 3 race at Zolder. But he stalled at the start and finished 14th.

GP2 Series Racing

Grosjean driving for ART Grand Prix at the Silverstone round of the 2008 GP2 Series.

Romain raced for ART in the first GP2 Asia Series season in 2008. He won both races in the first round and went on to win the championship with four wins.

He continued with the ART Grand Prix team for the 2008 GP2 Series. He finished fourth in the season and was the best rookie driver.

In 2009, Romain joined the Barwa Addax team. Even though he missed the last four races, he finished fourth in the championship.

First Time in Formula One

Romain became Renault's test driver in 2008. He drove a Formula One car for the first time at Silverstone in June 2008.

Renault (2009)

In 2009, Romain became a race driver for Renault. He took over from another driver after a team issue. He made his debut at the 2009 European Grand Prix. He had some tough races with collisions and car problems. He finished 15th in his first race after a crash.

Grosjean made his Formula One debut at the 2009 European Grand Prix.

At the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, he crashed on the first lap. At the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, he started 12th, his best qualifying spot. But he had a bad start and finished 15th. He said he was "very disappointed." He also had brake problems in Singapore and struggled in Japan. His best result that season was 13th in Brazil. He learned a lot that year, especially from his teammate Fernando Alonso.

In 2010, Romain did not have a Formula One seat. Another driver took his spot at Renault.

Racing Outside Formula One

Sportscar Racing

Grosjean driving a Ford GT at Silverstone

After leaving Formula One, Romain started racing sportscars. In 2010, he drove a Ford GT1 for the Matech Competition team. He won two races and led the championship early on.

In June 2010, Romain also raced in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. His team had to stop early after 171 laps.

Auto GP Racing

In June 2010, Romain returned to single-seater racing in the Auto GP series. He raced for the DAMS team. He won the main race at Spa-Francorchamps and finished second in the sprint race. He won three more races and became the Auto GP champion in 2010.

Return to GP2

Grosjean won the 2011 GP2 Asia Series and GP2 Series championships on his full-time return to the category.

Romain returned to GP2 full-time with the DAMS team in 2011. He raced in both the GP2 Series and GP2 Asia Series. He won two pole positions and one race to win the Asia Series. He also won the first race of the main GP2 series. He won four more races and secured the GP2 championship at the second-to-last race.

Return to Formula One

Lotus (2012–2015)

Grosjean driving for Lotus at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.

In 2011, Romain became a test driver for the Lotus Renault GP team. In December 2011, it was announced that he would return to Formula One in 2012. He joined the newly named Lotus F1 Team alongside 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen.

2012 Season

Grosjean at the 2012 United States Grand Prix.

At the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, Romain qualified third, his best starting position yet. But he crashed out on the second lap. At the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, he finished third, getting his first Formula One podium. In Spain, he started third, finished fourth, and set his first fastest lap. At the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix, he finished second, his best result so far.

Grosjean at the 2012 British Grand Prix

At the 2012 European Grand Prix, he had to stop racing because of car problems. At the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix, he qualified second and finished third.

Grosjean was involved in several first-lap accidents in his first full season of Formula One, including this collision with Mark Webber at the first corner of the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

At the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, Romain caused a big crash at the start. Several cars, including his own, were out of the race. He was banned for one race because of this, the first driver to be banned since 1994. He was replaced by Jérôme d'Ambrosio for the 2012 Italian Grand Prix. His team boss said Romain learned a lot from the ban. However, at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix, he crashed again on the first corner.

In December 2012, Romain won the Race of Champions in Thailand. He beat racing legend Tom Kristensen.

On 17 December 2012, it was confirmed that Romain would stay with Lotus for the 2013 season.

2013 Season

Grosjean testing the Lotus E21 in Barcelona.

Romain scored points in the first three races of 2013. At the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix, he finished third. At the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix, he crashed three times during practice. He then crashed in the race, which earned him a penalty for the next race. At the 2013 German Grand Prix, he led the race for a while and finished third.

Grosjean at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix.

He had more podium finishes in Korea, Japan, and India. In Japan, he even led the race for almost half the time. At the 2013 United States Grand Prix, he finished second, holding off Mark Webber.

On 29 November 2013, it was confirmed that Romain would continue with Lotus in 2014.

2014 Season

Grosjean at the 2014 British Grand Prix

For the 2014 season, drivers could pick their car number for their whole career. Romain chose number 8. He said he liked the number and it had special meaning to him. His wife was born on December 8th, they started dating in 2008, and he called his son the "8th wonder of the world." In 2014, he only scored points in two races, getting 8 points in total.

2015 Season

Grosjean at the 2015 Canadian Grand Prix

In 2015, Lotus had a much better car with a Mercedes engine. Romain showed good speed but had mechanical problems and crashes early in the season. He finished seventh in China and Bahrain. At the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix, he was hit by Max Verstappen.

In Canada, Romain qualified fifth. He was in the top five in the race but crashed with another car, causing a flat tire. He still managed to finish in the points. At the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix, Lotus had a fast car. Romain qualified fourth but started ninth due to a penalty. He moved up through the race and finished third, his first podium since 2013. He said he cried on the last lap.

He continued to score points in Japan and Mexico.

Haas F1 Team (2016–2020)

2016 Season

Grosjean at the 2016 British Grand Prix.

On 29 September 2015, it was announced that Romain would race for the Haas F1 Team. Haas was a new team joining Formula One in 2016. His teammate was Esteban Gutiérrez. In the team's first race, the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, Romain finished sixth. This meant Haas was the first new team since Toyota to score points in their very first race. He was also voted "Driver of the Day." He scored points again in the next race in Bahrain, finishing fifth.

In May 2017, Romain was chosen to be one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA).

2017 Season

Grosjean at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix

Romain continued to drive for Haas in 2017 with Kevin Magnussen as his teammate. He had several races where he had to stop early due to car problems or collisions. He scored 28 points and finished 13th in the season.

2018 Season

Grosjean at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Haas kept Romain for the 2018 season. At the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he crashed behind the safety car. At the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix, he caused a crash on the first lap, taking out two other cars. In the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix, Romain finished fourth, his best result with Haas. This was also his first time scoring points in 2018. He finished 14th in the season with 37 points.

2019 Season

Grosjean at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix

Romain stayed with Haas for the 2019 season. This year was also difficult for him with car problems and bad luck. In Australia, a wheel was not fitted correctly during a pit stop, causing him to retire. In Bahrain, he was hit by another car on the first lap. He scored his first points of the season by finishing 10th in Spain and Monaco.

He had more retirements in France and Britain. His best points finish came in Germany, where he finished seventh after other drivers received penalties. He ended the season in 18th place with 8 points.

2020 Season

Grosjean at pre-season testing in 2020

Haas announced that Romain would stay with the team for the 2020 season. He retired from the first race in Austria. His highest finish for most of the season was 12th. He scored his only points of the season by finishing ninth in Germany. Before the Portuguese Grand Prix, Romain announced that he and his teammate would leave Haas at the end of 2020.

2020 Bahrain Crash

In what would be his final race, Romain had a very serious crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. On the first lap, his car hit a barrier at high speed. The car split in half and caught fire immediately.

The front half of the wreckage of Grosjean's car, on display in 2023

The impact was very strong. Romain was able to get out of the burning car by himself after 28 seconds. Safety crew members helped him away from the crash. He had minor burns on his hands and ankles. The race was stopped for over an hour to clear the wreckage and fix the barrier. The halo head protection device, which was added to Formula One cars in 2018, was credited with saving his life. It protected his head and body from hitting the barrier. Romain missed the last two races of the season.

He had surgery for his injuries on December 16.

Mercedes Test

Romain was supposed to test drive the Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ car, which won the 2019 Formula One World Championship. This test was delayed due to travel rules.

IndyCar Racing

From 2021 onwards, Romain decided to race in the IndyCar Series.

Dale Coyne Racing (2021)

Grosjean at Road America in 2021

In 2021, Romain raced for Dale Coyne Racing and Rick Ware Racing. He was only going to race on street and road courses at first. But after the Indianapolis 500, he decided to race on an oval track too, to get more experience. His former Haas F1 teammate Pietro Fittipaldi raced for him on the faster oval tracks.

Romain quickly got used to IndyCar racing. He finished on the podium three times. He got two second-place finishes at the IMS Road Course and a third-place finish at Laguna Seca. He also earned his first IndyCar pole position at Indianapolis. He finished second in that race.

Grosjean at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2021

Romain's arrival in IndyCar was exciting. Many experts thought he would have a strong season because of his experience. He performed so well that he almost outscored another rookie, Scott McLaughlin, for the Rookie of the Year award, even though he didn't race a full schedule.

Andretti Autosport (2022–2023)

2022 Season

Grosjean driving for Andretti Autosport at the 2023 Indy 500

Romain joined Andretti Autosport for the 2022 season. He raced the No. 28 Honda car. He confirmed he would race in the 2022 Indianapolis 500 and the full 2022 schedule. He got his first podium with Andretti Autosport at Long Beach, finishing second. He crashed out of the Indianapolis 500. Overall, 2022 was a tough season for Romain, with bad luck and crashes.

2023 Season

In 2023, Romain won the pole position at the first race. But a crash with Scott McLaughlin ended his chances of winning. He crashed again at Texas while fighting for a podium. He then got two second-place finishes in a row at Long Beach and Barber. The rest of the season was not as good, and he had many races where he didn't finish.

In September, it was reported that Andretti would not keep Romain for the 2024 season. A month later, Romain announced he would take legal action against Andretti.

Juncos Hollinger Racing (2024)

Grosjean driving in 2024 at Mid-Ohio

On November 2, it was announced that Romain would race for the Juncos Hollinger Racing team for the 2024 season. This was his first time driving a Chevrolet-powered car in IndyCar. He finished fourth at the 2024 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca.

Romain was not kept by the team after 2024.

Prema Racing (2025)

On January 10, 2025, it was confirmed that the new team Prema Racing would hire Romain as a reserve driver.

Personal Life

Romain married French journalist and TV presenter Marion Jollès on June 27, 2012. They have been together since 2008. They have three children: a son born in July 2013, a second child born in May 2015, and a daughter born in December 2017.

After joining IndyCar, Romain announced he would move to Miami with his family. They chose Miami because it has French-language schools and direct flights to Paris.

Early in his career, Romain worked at a bank in Geneva. He is also a qualified pilot and shares videos about flying on his YouTube channel.

Other Activities

Romain has worked with several brands, including Richard Mille and Bell Sports.

In 2014, he appeared in French DJ David Guetta's music video for the song "Dangerous."

In October 2017, Romain released a cookbook called Cuisine et Confidences with his wife.

Romain also started R8G eSports, a team for sim racing (racing in video games).

He has his own YouTube Channel called Romain Grosjean Official, which he started in November 2017.

In 2024, Romain became a partner in Field Pass Inc., a company he had worked with before.

Racing Summary

Karting Career

Racing Career Highlights

^† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

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See also

In Spanish: Romain Grosjean para niños