Another piece of the Dale Coyne Racing with RWR effort became official today with the expected news of former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean joining the NTT IndyCar Series. With 179 career F1 starts and 10 podium finishes, Grosjean will now focus on the road and street course races in the No. 51 Honda. The driver for the oval races will be announced at a later date.

There are still some questions to be answered with this team. The part-time No. 52 car will be entered in four or five races in addition to the Indianapolis 500. Coyne announced last week that Ed Jones will pilot the No. 18 car for the full season. The 34-year old will test at Barber Motorsports Park on February 22. Grosjean joins a talented and experienced Rookie class that also includes Scott McLaughlin and Jimmie Johnson. The full press release from today is below.

[Dale Coyne Racing Press Release]

A veteran of 180 Formula 1 starts, Romain Grosjean, is turning to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for 2021, as he embarks on the next chapter of his racing career with Dale Coyne Racing with RWR.

The team is elated to announce that the former Haas F1 driver will be behind the wheel of the #51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR full-time entry for all the road and street courses in 2021, with the oval races yet to be determined.

Following a nine-year Formula 1 career, which ended with the world watching as he escaped a fiery crash in the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix in late November, Grosjean was presented with different opportunities as he mulled over his next career move. Ultimately, the Frenchman decided that the highly competitive NTT INDYCAR SERIES was the place to be.

“I’m very excited for this opportunity to race in the United States in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” expressed the 34-year-old Grosjean. “I had different options in front of me for this coming season and choosing to go IndyCar Racing was definitively my favorite one. Although, I’m not ready yet to take on the ovals! IndyCar has a much more level playing field than what I have been used to in my career so far. It will be exciting to challenge for podiums and wins again.  My left hand is still healing, but we are just about ready to get back into the race car and to start this next chapter of my career.”

Early on in his career, Grosjean picked up seven junior championships which included winning the GP2 series in 2011 by 35 points. He spent the first four years of his Formula 1 career with Lotus where he finished a career-best seventh in the 2013 Championship. He then moved to the Haas F1 team in 2016 where he spent the last five seasons. Grosjean scored 10 podium finishes over the course of his F1 career which included two second-place podium finishes, both captured on North American soil.

“We’ve been talking to Romain for some time now, even before his accident at Bahrain,” commented Team Owner Dale Coyne. “He has shown interest in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the past several months and we’re very happy that he has chosen to pursue his career with us and excited to welcome a driver with his pedigree to America, the Series and our team. We feel that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the Series.”

Dale Coyne Racing with RWR co-entrant Rick Ware said: “We’re thrilled to be entering our first full season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES racing with Dale Coyne Racing, and to have a driver of the caliber of Romain Grosjean to run the street and road courses makes it that much more exciting for us. We’re looking forward to this season.”

The Frenchman will have 2017 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, Ed Jones, as his teammate in the team’s #18 Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan entry which was announced last week. Both drivers will begin testing later this month at Barber Motorsports Park on February 22nd.

The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season gets underway on April 18, 2021 at Barber Motorsports Park.