Grosjean had to save fuel, and only had the final lap to make a real lunge for the lead. Photo: IndyCar
Romain Grosjean finished second in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, crossing the line less than one second behind his team-mate Kyle Kirkwood.
Grosjean had been slowly closing the gap to Kirkwood as the laps wound down, but was forced to fuel save and was not able to put as much pressure on the sophomore driver as he would have liked.
With three laps to go, he was given the all clear from his team and was free to push as much as he could to see if he could steal the win away.
Instead of making a risky lunge for the top spot on the final lap, however, Grosjean chose to play it safe and make sure that Andretti Autosport logged a 1-2 finish rather than potentially taking both drivers out of contention.
It was a decision that he may not have made last year when he was earning a reputation for being an aggressive driver, but that decision ensured he would walk away with a podium finish after a competitive weekend.
“I did not even want to try to go for the win today,” said the Frenchman after the race. “It would have been taking too much risk.
“Kyle drove a brilliant weekend. He had the best strategy out there, but he was on pole. He was fast. He didn’t make any mistakes. He drove well. He deserved the race.
“I think we’re strong everywhere. Today the race car wasn’t the best ever. I think we’re going to learn a few things and move forward. Generally we have a very fast car. Two weeks ago in Texas Motor Speedway, also showed I could do ovals.
“Yeah, when we speak in Laguna Seca, I want to be with those guys fighting for the championship, and I think we get a chance to do that.”
The considerate driving by Grosjean ensured that he was still running at the finish, the first time he’s been able to make that claim this season.
At St. Petersburg and at Texas he crashed while fighting near the front of the pack, and cost himself many valuable points in the process.
The second place result gives Grosjean his fifth IndyCar podium, and gives him hope that he will be able to notch his first win sometime in the near future.
Keyword: Grosjean: ‘Too much risk’ for last lap pass attempt against team-mate