Romain Grosjean’s move to Juncos Hollinger Racing could turn out to be a good thing for his Indycar career. At the media availability last Thursday, Grosjean expressed tempered optimism with modest, reasonable goals while praising the achievements of the team and their rookie driver, Agustin Canapino.

He admits that there are challenges on the small two car team. Grosjean will drive a Chevrolet after three years of Honda power. He has to learn the dynamics of a new team and an owner with a different management style than former boss michael Andretti has.. Grosjean joins Juncos Hollinger as the most experienced driver and team leader by default.

Grosjean thins the introduction of hybrid system may help level the field a bit in 2024, since it is new to everyone. he thinks the team can be competitive as they were at the end of this past year.

There are some things we won’t know until the new season gets underway. How will he handle a disagreement with Ricardo Juncos? How will Canapino’s fans react should the teammates have an on track incident? Will the team show Grosjean support should a clash occur?

While we have to see how the year goes, and whether the team can regain some of the good will they had with many fans before the end of 2023, I still think overall, that this ride may be the best fit Grosjean has had in Indycar.

The size of the team should increase his comfort level. I got the feeling he didn’t like driving for a team the size of Andretti, who had four drivers plus an affiliation with the two drivers at Meyer Shank Racing. Grosjean was impressive as a rookie at Dale Coyne Racing at a team similar in size to Juncos Hollinger Racing. I think this is the size of team that suits him best.

Grosjean said his goals are to get the team closer to the top ten if not into the top ten. I believe that is a reasonable goal. If the team dynamic factors align, Grojean and JHR could have a decent 2024 season.