You never know what may disrupt a driver going 230 mph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
For Romain Grosjean, it was a bird.
The veteran of three Indy 500s smacked a bird during open testing on Tuesday, April 28, requiring a return to his pit stall for an aeroscreen and helmet cleaning. His crew also inspected the No. 18 Honda for damage.
“Why is the bird flying over the racetrack?,” Grosjean pondered after wiping his helmet free of bird remnants.
“It’s all over my race suit,” he said later, recalling a 2018 incident in Formula 1 when he hit a groundhog that had reached the track. “There are pieces of bird … through the air vent.
“It was not ideal.”
Oof. Bird strike at 230mph for @RGrosjean at the #indy500 open test. Thankful yet again for the aeroscreen. #racing#motorsportpic.twitter.com/wqWWDXUWHy
— Marshall Pruett (@marshallpruett) April 28, 2026
Romain Grosjean hit a bird during Tuesday’s Indianapolis 500 Open Test.@BobPockrass | @IMSpic.twitter.com/S0WrZjFmnL
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) April 28, 2026
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Romain Grosjean avoids disaster after hitting bird in Indy 500 open test