It’s not too often drivers ark up on social media, let alone respond to internet trolls with a mere 17 followers.
Social media is a pretty volatile place at the best of times, something competitors around the globe – including McLaren’s Lando Norris – have bemoaned.
A set of tweets on Wednesday were enough to goad Romain Grosjean into a response as he felt the need to defend his driving standards.
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IndyCar fan page Champweb, which posts historical footage of North American open-wheeler racing, posed the question of whether Grosjean would win a race in 2022.
“Romain Grosjean is exciting to watch at the very least, but results lately are few and far between with a 16th place in Toronto now sitting 15th in the overall standings,” the page wrote.
“Can’t imagine it will get much better out of Iowa either. Will RG get a win this year?”
Grosjean has slumped in the drivers’ standings after claiming a second place finish in just the third race of the season, but is still optimistic with seven races remaining.
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“Don’t rule me out,” Grosjean replied with a winky face emoji.
However, it was another tweet that caught the attention of the Frenchman.
“He hasn’t made many friends and the other drivers know how he is on track now,” wrote Twitter user Taylor Smith.
“Used up all of his free passes last year. Will be tough sledding going forward.”
That was obviously enough to get Grosjean wound up, who fired back.
“Hi Taylor, would you mind telling me who did I push off track? I made some strong and brave pass,” the 36-year-old retorted.
“A couple of mistakes on Harvey and Herta (Detroit 2021 and Mid Ohio 2022). But don’t recall driving drivers off track whilst passing…”
The troll replied, “You’ve been aggressive, and that’s OK!
“We’ve heard from your peers that they haven’t liked how you’ve driven. I’m all for drama and more eyes on the sport. Good luck the rest of the way.”
Grosjean is, by and large, a well-liked figure in the IndyCar paddock.
Only a clash with his Andretti Autosport teammates at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course threatened to tarnish that reputation.
Grosjean and Alexander Rossi came to blows on three occasions, ultimately ending up with both of them off the road.
‘That guy’s a punk!’
The ex-Formula 1 driver of 118 grands prix then clashed with Colton Herta, sending the youngster off the road.
The clash with Rossi prompted a volatile response from Grosjean, who labelled his teammate an “absolute idiot” post-race.
The IndyCar Series continues across July 24-25 (AEST) at Iowa Speedway with a double-header on the oval.
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