Last Saturday, the podium slipped away at the very last moment in the IMSA season finale for Romain Grosjean, Daniil Kvyat, and Edoardo Mortara. Despite this, Lamborghini’s SC63 still achieved its best-ever result - fourth place. And that's where the story ends.
Speaking to The Race in the aftermath, Romain Grosjean looked back on the season finale and offered a candid assessment of the project he had been central to, both in IMSA and at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
But the Frenchman also made one thing clear - his own endurance racing journey is far from over - even if the SC63 has no more scheduled races confirmed and the car may not race again at the top level.
With just eight laps to go in the 28th Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, the #63 Lamborghini still held second place behind the eventual winner, the #31 Cadillac. That position owed much to a clever fuel-saving strategy that vaulted it up the order, and to another relentless drive from Grosjean.
“We needed a yellow flag in the final hour to have a real shot at the podium,” he told The Race. “The probability was around 80%, but it never came. I think luck just wasn’t quite on our side. Of course, we’d have loved to be on the podium, but we gave everything and fourth is still a really strong result. That’s what I want to take away from it.”
Had that caution arrived, Grosjean believes he might have had enough straightline speed to even challenge Earl Bamber and his Cadillac for first place. Still, the overall feeling is one of pride more than regret, even if not everything went to plan.
“We got caught up in a collision with an LMP2 car that forced us to change the nose of the car,” he said.
“We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then we had a small issue with the restart system that cost us a few seconds during two pitstops before we figured it out. But it’s an amazing result for the whole team, the best one for the car. We were just a bit unlucky in the end.”
Remarkably, the race concluded with a stint of three hours and 51 minutes under green flag conditions - a rarity, if not a first, in Petit Le Mans history.
The SC63's unfinished symphony
So, barring a miracle, the Lamborghini SC63 bows out with that fourth place, and a best-of-10th at Le Mans in 2024 as its other headline finish.
But why, beyond the already-known funding issues, did the programme ultimately fall short?
“The crash during testing at Paul Ricard [in August 2023] really delayed the test programme,” Grosjean recalled. “There were things we should have fixed before homologation, but we ran out of time. Everything had to be rushed to meet deadlines.
"In the end, we especially suffered with weight. The car has always been above the minimum limit. A lot of progress has been made, but we’re still not at the ideal weight.”
Rear suspension issues - which made the car nervous on bumpy tracks due to weaknesses in both kinematics and stiffness - were partly solved with an Evo Joker update introduced at The Battle on the Bricks (Indianapolis IMSA round) in early September. Grosjean immediately felt the benefits at Road Atlanta.
“It’s definitely a huge step in the right direction,” he confirmed. “There’s still more work to do to fully optimise it, but it made the car a lot more competitive and much easier on the tyres. That’s what allowed us to show our potential in the last two races. It also helped us uncover other weaknesses.
"There’s a clear development plan laid out, but sadly, that’s where it ends.”
Those final two rounds proved that the SC63 was far from a failure. There’s still more potential to be unlocked, though it may never get the chance.
What’s next for Grosjean?
It’s a frustrating end - as the programme shutting down just as things were starting to click. But Grosjean remains philosophical.
“Stopping after these two encouraging races is tough,” he admitted. “But as drivers, we have no control over that. We gave everything, and so did Riley [the team that ran the car in 2025]. I think we showed the package had real potential, and that’s all we could do.”
Calling Grosjean the face of Lamborghini’s GTP project would be no exaggeration. He was behind the wheel during the SC63's first laps in the lead during The Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis in 2024, set the fastest race lap at last year's Petit Le Mans, and was instrumental again in this year's fourth-place finish.
He had been pinged for blocking an LMP2 car earlier in the race, but was also the fastest driver in his line-up.
“I pushed extremely hard in the final two hours, saving fuel at the same time to chase that podium. The car’s balance was really strong,” Grosjean said. “I had so much fun on Saturday, and throughout the SC63 programme. Of course, when you’ve got a competitive car, it’s even better.”
After a first taste of endurance racing with Matech’s Ford GT1 programme in 2010 (pictured below), Grosjean closed another chapter last weekend. But he insists his endurance story isn’t over yet.
“I prefer prototypes to GTs, they just feel more natural to me,” he said. “That said, a good GT can still be fun because the racing is great.
"What do I hope for next? Simply a factory programme with a competitive car that can fight for the win at Le Mans. I love the GTP class and IMSA’s racing, and if I can combine that with IndyCar, even better.”
His former team, Dale Coyne Racing, hasn’t yet finalised its 2026 IndyCar plans, and Grosjean is among the leading candidates to partner Dennis Hauger. Meanwhile, on the endurance side, several manufacturers - including Ford - are set to join the Hypercar/GTP class.
Fast, technically astute, and now a proven endurance racer, Romain Grosjean has shown over two seasons that he belongs at the sharp end of sportscar racing. He would undoubtedly be a major asset for a newcomer.
