Marcus Ericsson has been one of IndyCar’s most consistent drivers in recent years, and is now eager to turn that consistency up a notch into more victories, and even championships. Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, one of the most prolific teams in paddock, and with solid experience in the form of five years driving in Formula 1, he has all the tools he needs to earn his first racing title since 2009.
Ericsson earned his name recognition from his time on the world stage in F1, but he has come into his own in IndyCar, and his bright red Huski Chocolate-sponsored car has become equally recognizable. The 31-year-old just began his fourth season in the top-level American open wheel series this year, and has already become one of the most consistent drivers on the grid. He earned a top 10 result in 12 of the 16 races run last year, equaling the performance of his team-mate and championship winner Alex Palou.
Each year in IndyCar has brought steady improvement as well, with a consistent rise through the standings resulting in his first two wins in 2021. Now that he has gotten that barrier out of the way, Ericsson is focusing on taking his results a notch higher and putting in a legitimate charge for the championship. Speaking with Motorsport Week recently in an exclusive interview, the cool and collected Swede discussed how important his consistency is and what his focus is in this season.
“I think consistency is always paying off in IndyCar the way the points structure is. For me, looking back at last year, I had an equal amount of top 10’s to Palou or something close. I think the difference for me was that I had a few too many 5 to 10’s, instead of top 5’s. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve been focusing on to try to improve top 10’s into top 5’s.
“To be honest, in St. Pete we were running fourth when I got that penalty for pit lane unsafe release. It dropped us to the back of the field, but we still managed to get a top 10. So that was a strong day. My goal is to win the championship, and that’s my target this year.”
The consistency Ericsson has been able to achieve is quite impressive considering the competitive nature of IndyCar which can produce a winner from nearly anywhere on the grid. In addition to earning the ‘Mr. Consistent’ title, Ericsson is on the verge of being known as one of the series’ street course experts. Both of his wins so far have come on America’s tricky and unforgiving street circuits, and he readily admits that he loves the extra challenge they provide. And with concrete barriers defining the track limits of bumpy and well-worn public roads, the increase in difficulty is quite severe.
Ericsson’s result for the most recent race on the streets of Long Beach was less than ideal on account of a small mistake late in the race, which resulted in damaged suspension. But before that mishap, Ericsson was running in the top spots once again and had a good chance at grabbing another podium. It is obvious there is something about the particular challenge of a street course that suits the calculated driver, and the rough and unrefined nature of America’s street circuits are just the type of challenge he enjoys.
“They’re a bit more rough [in America] for sure, a bit more bumpy with different surfaces on the track. But I like that challenge. It requires you as a driver to really be on the limit, but not over or under it. You need to balance that, which is quite difficult. That sort of challenge is something I enjoy. Seems to be suiting me quite well. I’ve won my two races in IndyCar so far on street courses. I enjoy it for sure.
“That’s the thing,” continued Ericsson, thinking about how different American street courses are to the ones in Europe he raced on in years past. “I think some places when they repave it and make it all smooth and nice, which makes is nicer, but I think it takes away some character of the tracks as well when they do that.
“That’s why I really enjoy IndyCar and the tracks we go to. Even the road courses, many of them are quite bumpy and a bit rough. I think that adds to the experience. Those European smooth and perfect tracks are not always great for racing.”
Ericsson’s career was focused on Europe for most of his development years. He advanced his way from karting up through GP2, and then eventually landed a seat in Formula 1 in 2014. After racing for Caterham in the team’s final season before it folded, Ericsson moved into the Sauber F1 team for the remainder of his time in the pinnacle of motorsport
He struggled against retirements and the relatively slow pace of the Swiss-based outfit, and his best year saw him ending the season down in 17th position in the Driver’s Championship. There simply was no chance at winning unless he was able to find a seat at one of the top manufacturers. He spent five years racing in the top series, but was never able to have a competitive car underneath him, which severely limited the results he was able to achieve.
Instead of continuing to fight against the odds, Ericsson made the jump stateside to try his hand at IndyCar. He immediately discovered that driver skill could lead to much more satisfying results in the nearly-spec series. After narrowly missing out on a race win in his first season, the Swedish driver landed a seat at Chip Ganassi Racing, one of the series’ top teams. Although the switch was not necessary in order to start fighting at the front, it certainly didn’t hurt.
Now in his third season with Ganassi, Ericsson has really started to show his skill through his consistent results across the varied schedule that IndyCar runs. With only a handful of finishes outside the top 10 in the past two years, he is finding his groove and really enjoying his time in the series. Ericsson reckons there is more success to come as well, and he expects he will be staying right where he’s at for many years to come.
“I think it’s difficult to say which you enjoy more or less. I loved my time in F1, but I was feeling towards the end of that stint that it was tough to get a break and get a car where I could compete for wins. I felt like I was improving every year, and the results were still the same.
“Here in IndyCar it’s been good to see. I started off struggling a bit to get used to everything in IndyCar, but then throughout the years I’ve been developing a lot. Last year I was a contender and winning races, and that’s been so much fun. I love that. I have really enjoyed my time here so far, and I want to stay for a long time.”
