Grosjean, who made the jump to IndyCar this year, had told his
family he would not race on the more dangerous ovals after a
fiery crash in Bahrain that ended his F1 career.
But after an impressive first season with Dale Coyne Racing,
Grosjean last month made the move to IndyCar powerhouse Andretti
Autosport with the goal of winning the driver's title which
would mean driving ovals.
"You can't go in the top ten if you are not doing all races.
They do want me fighting for championships, they want me at the
front and I feel comfortable with my decision," said Grosjean.
"You need to respect ovals a lot.
"It doesn't feel fast when everything goes well but for sure if
you start losing the rear end you know the wall is there.
"I feel like my level of happiness through my professional life,
being able to share that with my family is the risk that we
take."
Grosjean's rookie IndyCar campaign produced three podium
finishes, two on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) road
course, and one pole.
He also dipped his toe in the oval waters running at Gateway
Grand Prix placing 14th.
IMS, however, is a completely different beast: a massive 2.5
mile (4km) oval that has frightened off many top drivers.
Grosjean's first run at the Brickyard was an abbreviated one
that saw the Frenchman get his DHL Honda running the final of
three phases (15 laps at 215 mph plus) when rain cut short the
test.
IndyCar officials, however, deemed Grosjean and fellow Indy 500
novice seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson had passed
their rookie tests even though both were a few laps short of
completing the final phase.
Both will have the opportunity to finish their remaining laps
during the IMS open test next April.
"It went pretty well, it was a pretty smooth day apart from the
weather," said Grosjean. "The most stressful part was what was
my first lap speed going to be and you move from there.
"I had no idea what to expect to get to 205 mph and it went
smoothly.
"Eventually when you have to go about 215 mph, that's where the
fun starts."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Christopher
Cushing)
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