Romain Grosjean bust-ups must stop - because Colton Herta is Andretti's top dog
Last weekend's race at Mid-Ohio did not produce the results that Andretti Autosport was expecting. Their four drivers finished 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st in an ironically odd fashion. That wasn't even the worst part of the day for the organization, as dysfunction oozed from inside their hospitality area.
Friendly fire was the theme of the race for this unique blend of teammates. Every driver had contact with at least one of their co-workers, and some didn't stop there. The two main players in this situation were Alexander Rossi and Romain Grosjean. These two squabbled on numerous occasions on Sunday, leading to yellow flags, torn up race cars, frustrated radio messages, and post-race name-calling.
Rossi and Grosjean are two very similar drivers. Each came to IndyCar from the Formula One world, and still have a lot to prove. Rossi already has his foot out the door as he will be joining the Arrow McLaren SP team beginning next season. Grosjean moved to Andretti in the off-season after an outstanding rookie campaign with Dale Coyne Racing.
Both of these drivers are hungry for a win. Rossi hasn't won a race in more than three years and Grosjean is still searching for his first career victory. They raced against each other five times in Formula One during the 2015 season. The two are also wired the same way, in that they believe they are the top driver that should be leading the team.
The fact is though, the face of this organization is already that of Colton Herta.
The last six wins for Andretti have all come at the hands of Herta. The young phenom is the only driver that has shown the ability to consistently put it all together on a race weekend, and execute when it matters. Expectations have never been high for rookie Devlin DeFrancesco, but he knows his role within the team.
The first dust up between Rossi and Grosjean looked innocent, but the Frenchman did not see it that way. The initial contact appeared to knock the wheel out of Rossi's hands, taking away his car control. “It was a racing incident,” Rossi claimed. “He was on the softer tire and was probably going to get around me, and he likes to do it fast and early. I had to test him there and obviously that’s unfortunate to tap into a teammate, but that’s the way it goes.”
Grosjean was furious on the radio. “What the hell is wrong with him?” Moments later, he was given team orders to help protect Rossi's finishing position. “What do you want me to do? Just block everyone behind and not go ahead?” Grosjean asked. When the answer was given to him, he declined to do so. “Because Rossi put me in the wall, so I am not going to protect him,” Grosjean said.
The team reminded Grosjean that Rossi was not a lap down, and that he was. Obviously, Rossi is the one who caused him to be a lap down, but the fact that Romain explicitly refused team orders revealed a lot to his boss. Michael was understandably embarrassed and furious with how the whole day played out. He called a team meeting shortly after the race, which only lasted five minutes.
“It wasn’t pleasant, but it was good that he did it,” Grosjean said of Michael's decision to have the meeting. “I understand he’s frustrated and not happy with us.” Those comments came after Romain twice called Rossi an "idiot" in interviews with reporters. Rossi downplayed the incident after the race. "We’re teammates for Andretti Autosport and trying to get the best result possible," he said.
With Michael fuming at the prospects of his organization having a monumental meltdown, the team is trying to move on as the second half of the season gets underway next weekend in Toronto.
"Our race results in Mid-Ohio did not go as planned," Michael said. "Sunday’s display was disappointing and unacceptable and not the way we operate – on or off the track. Racing is a passionate sport and we have four highly competitive drivers. However, we are one team at Andretti, and our drivers need to remember that we expect them to work together for the betterment of the team. That’s the way it will be going forward."
Both Rossi and Grosjean have had several encounters with other drivers this season that have not gone well. Graham Rahal has had issues with both of them, but his run in with Grosjean seemed to ruffle his feathers more. So much so, that he specifically called out the Frenchman publicly, stating that other drivers have been having issues with him as well.
Gone are the days of guys like Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan, Bryan Herta, Marco Andretti, and Danica Patrick. There was a real sense of comradery with those drivers, and they all appeared to genuinely like one another. One of the biggest changes within the team this past off-season was the departure of the guy that Grosjean replaced in the No. 28 seat.
Ryan Hunter-Reay may go down as one of the more underappreciated drivers of this era. The Florida native won the 2014 Indianapolis 500 with Andretti, and also delivered the team's lone championship since reunification in 2008. That title came a decade ago, back in 2012. Every championship since then has been won by either Penske or Ganassi.
Not only was Hunter-Reay an exceptional talent behind the wheel, he was also the perfect fit for this organization. Sometimes that gets overlooked in the business world, and perhaps Michael is just now realizing this. Hunter-Reay helped out rookie Callum Ilott and the Juncos Hollinger Racing team at Texas and Indianapolis this year. Ilott said it was “amazing” to have an Indy 500 winner helping him, and was truly grateful.
More notably than his individual success, was Hunter-Reay's desire to do the right thing for the team. He wanted to see the organization succeed, no matter which driver was standing at the top of the podium. He would take chances, and was always fast no matter what type of circuit he was competing on, but he would always put the team first. That is what Michael has always wanted, and what is missing now.
One year ago, the big Silly Season focus was on Hunter-Reay and Andretti. When asked about his future, Ryan still put the team first. “To be honest, I’m just focused on doing the best job I can here, fulfilling my potential, fulfilling Andretti Autosport’s potential.” Ryan turned down a ride with Penske after winning the title in 2012, something that will always stick with his former engineer Ray Gosselin.
"Ryan came to the team when we were really down and really lifted the whole team up," Gosselin said. "I think that’s lost in the years that have gone by, but the people who were there at the time still remember it and still appreciate it. We were really struggling when he joined and his arrival was a huge boost." When asked about the idea of Ryan taking a back seat as the leader of the team, Gosselin said that was never an issue.
"It’s not something Ryan and I have ever talked about as if it’s troubled him. He’s as open with Colton as he is with Alex and James (Hinchcliffe), and I think everyone here regards it as one of the strengths of the team; The ease of being able to ask questions of each other. Ryan looks at what those guys are doing and if they’re faster in a session, he’ll say, okay, I have to do that."
When Grosjean replaced Hunter-Reay, the expectation was that the No. 28 Honda would be returning to victory lane. That has not been the case, as Romain sits 14th in the standings heading into the race next weekend. His 14.4 average finishing position is right on par with that, as he has finished 17th or worse in four out of the last five races.
The incidents with guys like Takuma Sato (St Petersburg), Rahal (Barber), and now Rossi (Mid-Ohio) need to stop. If he can eliminate those mistakes, learn to give a little more, and work better with his teammates, the results will follow. That will not only help his reputation and position within the organization, but it will make Michael happy.
Andretti Autosport COO Rob Edwards also told David Malsher-Lopez that working together is the solution. "Romain and Alex are just typically competitive guys who are forced to work together because they are teammates and they recognize that working together, along with Colton and Devlin, is the way forward. Every driver on any team is reminded that they must work for the good of the team first. and that is not what happened for us."
Edwards and the four drivers were at Iowa Speedway yesterday as one of the teams testing on the short oval. He told Mark Glendenning that it was the perfect timing to clear the air ahead of the event next weekend. "It’s good that there’s a little bit of time between Mid-Ohio and having everyone in competition at the racetrack again, but I also think that if no one saw each other for ten days, things could fester. So it’s important that all four drivers work together at the test to make sure that we’re as well-prepared as we can be."
While much of this is on the drivers themselves, it goes beyond just a Rossi versus Grosjean debate. The onus should be on Michael and his organizational hierarchy. Roger Penske does not have these problems with Tim Cindric steering the boat. The same goes for Chip Ganassi's team with Mike Hull. You can include Arrow McLaren's Zak Brown and Taylor Kiel here, too.
The questions about Andretti stretching themselves too thin have been out there for quite some time. Penske struggled last season and downsized to three cars, and it seems to be paying off. While it is not time to press the panic button, it might not be a bad idea to at least know where it is, just in case.
