Sport Headlines | Delayed start for proposed NZ20 franchise league and three-day eventer Tim Price's second-place finish at Badminton Horse Trials. | Tuesday, May 12, 2026
New Zealand IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong has been involved in an angry confrontation with former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.
The 40-year-old Frenchman blew up at the young Kiwi over an apparent misunderstanding, but Armstrong’s crew chief at Meyer Shank Racing, Jimmy Looper, could beseen holding him back.
“Get off, I was going to talk to him,” Grosjean shouted.
The post-race incident calmed down with Looper acting as a peacemaker and with several mechanics in support while the drivers had a more civil exchange.
New Zealand driver Marcus Armstrong was confronted by former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.
Armstrong later spoke about the incident to broadcaster Fox Newsand joked about how Grosjean approached him.
“He fancied a bit of a fist fight, actually,” Armstrong said.
“Bit of UFC, bit of MMA, something I’m not accustomed to, but hey, you know what? I’ve got like a 350-pound fueler who was right behind me, so fair play to Romain.
There’s a reason to hire a crew chief like Jimmy Looper who also serves as head of security for his car and peacekeeper for his driver. Good to see Romain throttle back. #racing#motorsport#indycarpic.twitter.com/9PBBZBaMJr
“He’s got some balls for trying to attack me with him behind me.”
Armstrong finished the race in 11th place, while Grosjean took 21st after being caught in a late multi-car crash.
Racing reporter Marshall Pruett later posted on X to say he had spoken with Grosjean and he made a joke about wanting to punch him that was taken out of context.
“Romain called to say he was simply trying to talk to Marcus and made a joke about wanting to punch him and that it was taken out of context and that’s where the misunderstanding happened,” the reporter wrote.
Armstrong is in his second season with Meyer Shank Racing in IndyCar, having won five karting championships and four poles in Formula Three.
He also competed in Formula Two for three seasons, picking up four wins before making the switch to IndyCar.
This season, the 25-year-old has had one top-five finish, three top-10 finishes and currently sits 10th in the overall rankings.
Grosjean previously raced for Renault, Lotus and Haas before he switched to IndyCar in 2021.
In his final Formula One season, the Frenchman made a miraculous escape from a burning car at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, where his visor melted after being caught in the fireball for about 10 seconds.
