Romain Grosjean will make a full-time return to the IndyCar grid in 2026 after signing with Dale Coyne Racing, completing the final seat on next season’s line-up.
The 39-year-old Frenchman is set to drive the No. 18 Honda-powered entry, with backing from OnlyBulls and Bitcoin MAX. His signing follows a pre-season test outing with the team at Sebring International Raceway, where he impressed sufficiently to secure the deal.
Grosjean’s return marks a fresh chapter in a transatlantic career that has spanned Formula 1, IndyCar and endurance racing. After 179 Grand Prix starts and 10 podium finishes in Formula 1, he departed the championship at the end of 2020 and relocated to the United States to pursue a new challenge.
Grosjean’s Career Snapshot
| Series | Years | Starts | Podiums | Best Championship Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula 1 | 2009–2020 | 179 | 10 | 7th (2013) |
| IndyCar | 2021–2024 | 68* | 6 | 13th (2022, 2023) |
| IMSA GTP | 2025 | Partial | — | — |
*Approximate total across part- and full-time campaigns.
His first IndyCar campaign in 2021 was conducted in partnership between Dale Coyne Racing and Rick Ware Racing, yielding three podium finishes despite his decision to avoid oval events that season. The following two years were spent with Andretti Global, where he added a further three podiums but finished 13th in the standings in both 2022 and 2023.
A switch to Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2024 produced flashes of promise — including a fourth-place finish — yet he slipped to 17th in the final points table. With no race victories and five runner-up finishes to his name, questions lingered about whether his IndyCar journey had run its course when he sat out the 2025 season.
During that hiatus, Grosjean competed in selected rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, piloting a Lamborghini GTP car for Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse, maintaining his presence at the sharp end of international motorsport.
Now, however, he returns to familiar surroundings with renewed intent.
Dale Coyne Racing, long regarded as a team capable of outperforming expectations, offers Grosjean both stability and opportunity. For the organisation, his experience across top-tier single-seaters and endurance racing brings valuable technical insight as the team seeks to climb the competitive order.
Milton “Todd” Ault, associated with primary sponsor Bitcoin MAX, hailed Grosjean as “the perfect global representative”, citing his resilience and professionalism as aligning with the brand’s identity.
For Grosjean, the 2026 season represents unfinished business. While race victories have so far eluded him in IndyCar, his outright speed and proven adaptability suggest that the story is not yet complete. A return to Dale Coyne Racing — where his American single-seater adventure began — offers both symmetry and a renewed platform from which to pursue that elusive first win.
