Romain Grosjean came within five laps of ending his long wait for an IndyCar victory at the inaugural Markham GP.
After starting the weekend toward the back of the field, with a P14 in Practice 1 and P18 in Practice 2 before missing out on the Firestone Fast 12, Grosjean and Dale Coyne Racing transformed their fortunes on Sunday. By the closing stages, the Frenchman was leading the race and within sight of his first IndyCar victory.
Instead, Marcus Ericsson charged through the field and passed Grosjean with five laps remaining, leaving the Dale Coyne Racing driver with a hard-fought second-place finish.
For Grosjean, the result was a mixture of pride and disappointment.
“I cried a little,” Grosjean admitted after the race to Pit Debrief and other media. “I’m not going to lie.”
A weekend turned around
The podium was a remarkable turnaround from where the team had started the weekend. After struggling to find the right setup in qualifying, Grosjean said the car immediately felt stronger once the race began.
“In qualifying, I’m not going to go into details what happened, but the red flag really hurt us there,” Grosjean explained. “Then in the race, I felt straightaway we had some good pace.”
Grosjean was able to capitalize on that pace throughout the race, navigating the numerous restarts and moving his way toward the front. After passing Nolan Siegel, he took the lead and began to build a gap.
Comes down to the final laps
The race then became a test of strategy and tire management. Grosjean knew the final stint would require him to stretch his tires and fuel to the finish, while Ericsson had the opportunity to attack late.
“When I saw the 28 pitting, Marcus, I thought there was no way he would catch us,” Grosjean said.
But Ericsson steadily closed the gap and eventually caught Grosjean with five laps remaining. With little left in reserve, Grosjean could not hold off the Andretti Global driver.
“Honda did amazing with us,” Grosjean said. “They worked so well, gave us the exact fuel number to cross the finish line with nothing left in the tank.”
With the car and tires pushed to their limits, Grosjean acknowledged there was little he could have done differently.
“Nothing much you could do to defend,” he said. “Not meant to be today.”
A podium to build on
Despite missing out on the win, Grosjean was proud of what he and Dale Coyne Racing accomplished. The result marked his first podium of the 2026 season and his seventh career IndyCar podium.
The performance also provided a reminder that Grosjean still has the pace to fight at the front. His last single-seater victory came in GP2 in 2011, but he insists the ability to win has never disappeared.
“I don’t think I forgot how to win a race,” Grosjean said. “I just think I didn’t get the chance to do that.”
At Markham, he finally had that chance—and came closer than he has in years.
“I did everything I could,” Grosjean said.
While Ericsson took the historic first victory at Markham, Grosjean left Ontario with a result that could prove to be an important turning point for both himself and Dale Coyne Racing.
Indycar will continue their season this upcoming weekend, August 22nd-23rd on a new street course, for round 15 of 18 in Washington DC.
