IndyCar 2022 preview: Romain Grosjean’s Andretti move tops drivers joining new teams

Even before the first lap in his new elite NTT IndyCar Series ride, life already has been a little easier for Romain Grosjean this year.

The Swiss-born Frenchman who became a fan favorite last year as an emerging star no longer needs to use his American-friendly middle name (David) in trying to simplify his coffee order at Starbucks.

“I was able to download the app because now I’ve got an American phone number,” Grosjean, who moved his family from Europe to the Miami area in the offseason, told NBC Sports with a laugh. “So now because I order it in advance, it just comes with the right name.”

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But the correct pronunciation?

“No,” Grosjean said with a laugh.

Perhaps that final piece of name recognition will come with the move to Andretti Autosport, where Grosjean, 35, will race the full 2022 season after an impressive rookie campaign on road and street courses for Dale Coyne Racing.

Transitioning from a decade of racing Formula One, Grosjean immediately adapted to IndyCar, winning the pole position for his third start and finishing second in May on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He also fell for America during a monthlong tour of the Midwest with his wife and three kids in a motorhome (his two young boys now will play baseball after being introduced in batting cages last summer).

“I could tell that they were really happy being here, and that just triggered everything,” he said. “We found a school for the kids, found a house and moved in at the end of December in Florida, and we’re just loving it.”

Absolutely loved my first day in my DHL Honda n.28 See you in St Pete pic.twitter.com/KAQ9lPNYbn

— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) February 15, 2022

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