Andretti calls out his team for Mid-Ohio actions

Michael Andretti acknowledged Tuesday that the meltdown of his IndyCar staff at Mid-Ohio was unacceptable and mentioned his 4 drivers can be anticipated to work collectively as teammates the rest of the season.

Andretti led an emergency assembly after Sunday’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports activities Automobile Course, the place a fracture within the Andretti Autosport lineup was absolutely revealed.

Romain Grosjean and Alexander Rossi performed bumper vehicles in a race for place that turned private. Rossi additionally hit rookie teammate Devlin DeFrancesco, Grosjean hit Colton Herta and IndyCar penalized each Rossi and Grosjean for avoidable contact.

After the race, staff proprietor Andretti was seen having a heated dialog with Rossi’s father, and he pulled all 4 drivers inside to debate the debacle.

“Our race leads to Mid-Ohio didn’t go as deliberate. Sunday’s show was disappointing and unacceptable and never the way in which we function — on or off the monitor,” Andretti mentioned Tuesday in an announcement offered to The Related Press.

“Racing is a passionate sport and we have now 4 extremely aggressive drivers; nonetheless we’re one staff at Andretti and our drivers have to keep in mind that we anticipate them to work collectively for the betterment of the staff. That is the way in which it will likely be going ahead.”

Grosjean raced for practically a decade in Formulation One earlier than his time within the collection resulted in a 2020 crash from which he escaped from the burning wreckage of his automotive, incomes the nickname “The Phoenix.” He switched to IndyCar the following season and overperformed whereas driving for Dale Coyne Racing, which helped the Frenchman land a greater seat at front-runner Andretti Autosport.

Rossi determined earlier this yr that his seventh season with Andretti can be his final. The winner of the one hundredth working of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016 has signed with Arrow McLaren SP for 2023.

Grosjean and Rossi raced in opposition to one another 5 occasions in F1 in 2015, when Rossi obtained a handful of begins driving for Manor Marussia. Grosjean completed thirteenth and Rossi was 14th in Rossi’s F1 debut. Rossi’s time in F1 ran out on the finish of that season and he is been with Andretti since.

He and Grosjean do not take care of one another, and Grosjean did not again down following the Mid-Ohio postrace lecture from the boss. Grosjean known as Rossi “an absolute fool” afterward.

Rossi pressured that he was dedicated to working as a part of the Andretti group via the remaining seven races however declined to remark additional.

The Andretti group has only one win to this point this season — Herta on the street course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — and Rossi at eighth is the highest-ranked Andretti driver within the standings. Grosjean has one podium end and is ranked 14th.

The group additionally wasn’t all that aggressive on the Indy 500, the one race the staff proprietor cares most about successful. Rossi in fifth was the highest-finishing Andretti driver and the three late laps led by Marco Andretti have been the one laps that an Andretti automotive paced the sector.