Marcus Ericsson

From Formula 1 to the IndyCar Series

Marcus Ericsson is a driver who brought a wealth of open-wheel racing experience to his IndyCar debut on the streets of St. Petersburg in 2019. After winning the Formula BMW UK Championship in 2007 and the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship in 2009, major successes in the GP2 Series, the primary stepping stone to Formula 1, were somewhat elusive. However, in 2014, the Swede made his Formula 1 debut with the Caterham team.

The Caterham car was not a successful contender. Nevertheless, Ericsson came very close to a points finish in Monaco, ending the race in eleventh place. From 2015 to 2018, Ericsson drove for the Sauber team, which now competes as Alfa Romeo Racing. During these four years, he accumulated eighteen World Championship points. Ericsson's best result in his Formula 1 career was an eighth-place finish in his first race for Sauber at the Australian Grand Prix in 2015.

Transition to IndyCar

Toward the end of the 2018 Formula 1 season, it became clear that there was no longer a race seat for Ericsson at Alfa Romeo after the arrival of Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Despite having a contract as a test and reserve driver with the team, the Swede decided to seek opportunities elsewhere. He quickly found a spot in the NTT IndyCar Series with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, where he became teammates with James Hinchcliffe.

IndyCar Success with Chip Ganassi Racing

After a debut season in which Ericsson finished thirteen of the sixteen races and made one podium appearance, the Swede also competed in the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series. That season, Ericsson no longer raced for Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson but joined the top team of Chip Ganassi, where he drove the returning car with the number 8.

In 2021, Ericsson continued with Chip Ganassi Racing. That year, the Swede achieved no fewer than twelve top-ten finishes and had his true breakthrough as an IndyCar driver by winning two races and finishing sixth in the championship standings. In 2022, Ericsson even won the Indy 500, while in 2023, he narrowly missed victory with a second-place finish.

Move to Andretti Autosport

After finishing sixth for three consecutive seasons, the Swede made the move to Andretti Autosport in 2024. However, the first season, in 2024, did not bring the desired results: Ericsson finished in the top ten only six times, resulting in a modest fifteenth place in the championship. For Ericsson, it was a learning year, which he hopes to build on with Michael Andretti's team in 2025.