Marcus Ericsson referred to as Romain Grosjean to debate their wheel to wheel battle within the Nashville IndyCar race that preceded Grosjean being dumped out of the race by Josef Newgarden, and a few controversial tweeting that adopted afterwards.
Within the closing laps of the race, Grosjean made a late lunge on Ericsson, who needed to brake to verify he gave Grosjean the nook.
As Ericsson rounded Flip 11 – slowed by making room for Grosjean – he was hit from behind by Colton Herta, which broke one thing within the gearbox and led to Ericsson’s retirement.
Shortly after Grosjean was pushed broad and into the wall at Flip 9 on the penultimate restart of the race by Newgarden, who was attempting to overhaul three Andretti Autosport vehicles in a single transfer, prompted Grosjean to gesticulate at Newgarden from trackside and tweet indignant faces after the race.
Ericsson replied to that Grosjean tweet with: “what comes round goes round”.
However he revealed on Tuesday that he’d since referred to as Grosjean to clear the air.
“I feel quite a lot of drivers have been in all probability pissed off on Sunday night time, together with me,” Ericsson informed The Race.
“I put out that tweet on Sunday about Romain and I felt like he had carried out a little bit of a late dive on me within the race and kind of put me ready the place Colton hits me.
“And I simply referred to as him on Monday, to have a chat about it.
“I feel we had an excellent chat and once I’m wanting again at it as properly, I don’t suppose there was something unsuitable with what Romain did to me actually.
“I feel it’s nonetheless a late transfer.
“However taking a look at it, sleeping on it and taking a look at it once more, I don’t suppose there was something actually unsuitable with it.
“So I feel we had an excellent chat about it. And that was actually what got here out of it.”
Newgarden replied to quite a few Twitter customers that criticised the incident, and after the race he stated “welcome to IndyCar, it will get tight” in reference to the Grosjean conflict. He has since apologised to quite a few Twitter customers for his feedback.
It’s the most recent incident the place IndyCar regulars have reacted angrily to Grosjean’s supposed aggressive driving, which in all probability started at Barber earlier this 12 months when Graham Rahal criticised the ex-Method 1 driver in a post-race interview.
Ericsson had confirmed his cellphone name to Grosjean in a submit in Swedish on Twitter on Tuesday, through which he intimated drivers’ criticism of Grosjean went past occasions in Nashville.
“Romain is an aggressive driver and has been concerned in some stuff over the past season and a half and precipitated some controversy – if that’s proper or unsuitable I don’t know, that’s lower than me actually to say – however I feel that was kind of the factor with me as properly, I felt like he was possibly over aggressive however like I stated once I seemed again at it, I don’t actually really feel that approach anymore,” Ericsson stated when requested about that Tweet.
“So I’m fairly tremendous with it however that was the factor a bit once I was tweeting my factor as properly, it was extra like a normal factor [beyond Nashville].
“He’s been racing individuals laborious after which somebody races him laborious again.
“I don’t even keep in mind now what I wrote in my first tweet. Like I stated, it’s racing, it’s laborious racing and on the finish of the day that’s the way it goes, you win some, you lose some.
“I had an excellent chat with Romain. I feel we’re each on the identical web page, and all good.”
The Race says…
Nashville frustration spilled over
Nashville reveals drivers must spend much less time on Twitter and extra time talking amongst themselves!
It doesn’t shock me that two very respectful characters in Ericsson and Newgarden took motion on Monday.
Ericsson referred to as Grosjean after altering his opinion on the incident barely having slept on it, and Newgarden apologised to followers over how he spoke to them in replies to criticism of him.
Hey @ChrisxWright, I apologize for chirping at you the opposite day. I certainly don’t know you, so I feel that was unsuitable on me to fireside off. And I’m positive lighting can strike for you a lot 🤘 Take care.
— Josef Newgarden (@josefnewgarden) August 9, 2022
Ericsson might have simply left or not it’s, and Newgarden might have deleted his tweets and never taken accountability. Each did the suitable factor.
Transferring away from Ericsson and Newgarden now, however on an identical matter, I perceive Nashville made drivers indignant.
Hopefully the combined opinion on the race as a spectacle and what was stated on social media afterwards can inform future resolution making on whether or not Tweeting or utilizing social media within the quick aftermath is a good suggestion. Typically it definitely might be. Different instances, not a lot.
When it comes to racing this 12 months, IndyCar race management is taking a hands-off method to penalising drivers. A number of incidents the place a driver has been put out of a race undeservedly have gone unpunished.
“He simply shoved me off.”@FRosenqvist and @AlexanderRossi collide whereas battling for P4.
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And to think about final weekend, you would forgive a number of crashes and errors in Nashville when it was new to the calendar final 12 months, however you’ll be able to’t forgive the identical factor taking place once more. The drivers must take some duty for the caution-fest followers sat by.
Maybe an absence of intervention from race management is having an undesirable facet impact of cultivating extra animosity between drivers as a result of if somebody like Ericsson doesn’t choose up the cellphone and name Grosjean, awkwardness exists that may manifest on monitor. Indignant tweets may result in an absence of respect in fight after which we’re fostering extra animosity and incidents that would get out of hand.
Now greater than ever, with so few punishments being handed out, it’s vital that the drivers talk about what occurs on monitor between one another and collectively for the nice of the racing and for their very own security.