Grosjean 'Cried a Little' as IndyCar Win Slips Away Again

Romain Grosjean admitted he shed tears after his latest shot at an IndyCar victory slipped through his fingers in Detroit. The Swiss-born Frenchman had to settle for runner-up in Sunday's race.

A bold two-stop strategy and a well-timed caution on Lap 54 propelled Romain Grosjean into contention. But Marcus Ericsson from Andretti Global, who pitted later, managed to hunt him down and pass at the hairpin with five laps to go.

"At the end of the race, I knew we had to go 37-odd laps on the tyres and fuel. That was going to be a challenge. When I saw the #28 (Ericsson) pitting, I thought there was no way he would catch us," Grosjean said post-race.

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The Dale Coyne Racing driver had opened a comfortable gap over Alex Palou behind him, but Ericsson's aggressive pace closed it down.

"Honda did amazing with us. They gave us the exact fuel number to cross the finish line with nothing left in the tank. There was nothing much I could do to defend. It wasn't meant to be today. I cried a little, I'm not going to lie," he added.

This is Grosjean's best finish since 2023 at Barber, and his sixth runner-up result without a win in five IndyCar seasons. His last victory in a major series came in GP2 back in 2011 at the Hungaroring.

Jokingly, Grosjean said he might need to drop down a category to end the drought. "I've done everything I could. Ten years in Formula 1, if you don't have the car, you don't win. It's a long time, it sucks. I thought today when I pulled the gap to Palou, that was good. But I had no more fuel, no more tyres, no more anything. I just gave it all," he lamented.

IndyCar returns on August 24 (AEST) for the Freedom 250 on the streets of Washington.