Romain Grosjean explains why he threatened to punch rival

Romain Grosjean puts his jacket on in a motor garage — Photo: © IMAGO

IndyCar

Romain Grosjean explains why he threatened to punch rival

Grosjean and Armstrong addressed their confrontation at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 15 May 2026 15:55

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IndyCar star Romain Grosjean has set the record straight after that heated confrontation with Marcus Armstrong at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Former F1 ace Grosjean believed he was denied a strong result last week, where he was on for a top-five finish until mid-race contact with Armstrong ruined his race.

While Armstrong was punished with a drive-through penalty, this didn't stop Grosjean from confronting his rival in the pit-lane after the race.

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When Grosjean started to shout at Armstrong, his Meyer Shank Racing mechanics then stepped in to try and defuse the situation.

Ahead of the Indy 500, Grosjean spoke to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports about the incident and explained: "I wasn't angry. I think the whole thing got misinterpreted because some people that had no right to be involved, got involved. Marcus crashed into me, got a drive through for it. Ruined my race. It was a top five, easy. It's no better. So we had a discussion.

"I said, I want to punch you, as a joke. And then that's when mechanics got involved and started pushing me back. All I wanted was to speak with Marcus. And they keep pushing me back and pushing me back. So, as I said, it was a discussion between drivers. And they got misinterpreted.

"Yeah, I put my arms behind my back just to show them I'm not here to fight. And they keep pushing me back. Kind of telling me to f*** off and get off the box. Well, they don't own the box. IMS does. Anyway, as I say, it's past. I would have just liked an 'I apologise, I made a mistake. I got a drive-through. Sorry I ruined your day.' End of the story."

Armstrong: I'm thinking about taking up boxing

Speaking to the press ahead of the Indy 500, Armstrong revealed he was surprised by the confrontation and believes Grosjean got upset by something he deemed to be a clean move.

The Kiwi, however, made light of the situation and added: "I'm thinking about taking up boxing."

"But in all seriousness, it's not a problem. We just had a bit of a kerfuffle on track. We kind of made contact and I was fully up alongside him and we made contact, which happens in IndyCar racing, and afterward, he was pretty angry."

IndyCar Romain Grosjean Marcus Armstrong