INDIANAPOLIS — Romain Grosjean insists the pit-lane confrontation with Marcus Armstrong that went viral after Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix wasn’t what it looked like.
“I’ve never punched anyone in my life,” Grosjean said.
The Andretti Global driver stormed toward Armstrong’s pit box following on-track contact, creating a tense scene in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway pit lane as crew members from Meyer Shank Racing stepped in to keep the two separated. But afterward, both drivers brushed off the incident as an emotional moment that escalated unnecessarily.
“If there’s no emotions in sports, what’s the point of sports?” Grosjean said.
Armstrong said there are no lingering issues between the two.
“Romain and I are friends firstly so I’m not too bothered about it,” Armstrong said. “In all seriousness, it’s not a problem. We just had a bit of a kerfuffle on track.”
Tensions initially flared on Lap 27 as Armstrong and Grosjean battled for seventh. Armstrong made contact with Grosjean while attempting a pass, earning a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.
“I did dive bomb him and it was a clean move,” Armstrong said. “I was fully up alongside him and we made contact.”
Armstrong finished 11th, while Grosjean dropped to 21st, a result Grosjean said was especially frustrating given the pace he felt he had.
“Marcus crashed into me, got a drive through for it, ruined my race,” Grosjean said.
Armstrong said he sensed Grosjean’s frustration even before the confrontation in pit lane.
“He kind of chopped me on the in-lap,” Armstrong said. “I don’t often get a reaction like that and I certainly wouldn’t react like that, but that’s just him.”
Video later showed Grosjean approaching Armstrong’s pit area, where crew members quickly stepped between the two. Grosjean insisted the moment was misread and said he wasn’t looking to fight.
“I wasn’t angry,” he said, adding that “some people who had no right to be involved got involved.”
Grosjean said he only wanted to speak with Armstrong driver-to-driver, but the situation escalated when mechanics began pushing him back.
“All I wanted was to speak with Marcus,” Grosjean said. “It was a discussion between drivers and it got misinterpreted.”
He said he even put his hands behind his back to show he wasn’t trying to escalate the situation, but was still shoved away from the pit box.
Armstrong, meanwhile, said he wasn’t worried during the confrontation and joked afterward about the size of his pit crew. In the video, Armstrong’s crew prevented Grosjean from getting close, including what Armstrong described as his “350-pound fueler.”
“He looks like the poster boy for bench press,” Armstrong said, adding he was surprised Grosjean approached the pit box without any backup.
Still, the Kiwi said he understood the emotion in the moment and expects the two to move on quickly.
“I appreciate the emotion,” Armstrong said. “We’re still gonna be mates and we’re still gonna be having a laugh whenever we see each other.”
Grosjean agreed the situation is already behind them, but said he would have preferred a quick apology rather than a post-race scene.
“It’s past,” Grosjean said. “I would have just like, ‘I apologize, I made a mistake, got a drive through. Sorry I ruined your day,’ end of the story.”
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Grosjean, Armstrong brush off pit-lane confrontation: ‘I’ve never punched anyone’
Reporting by Jessica Garcete, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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