Tag: Marcus Ericsson

Ericsson Rises Above Canadian Chaos

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Some quick thoughts on a spectacular, wild, chaotic race at Markham:

Heartbreak, drama. pit strategy gambles, and a drive for the ages were all on display at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy today. The race had all the elements of a great race, with timely and untimely cautions, changing pit strategies, passing, collisions, and a charge for the le4ad in the closing laps.

Heartbreak– Louis Foster’ lap 32 crash while dominating the race is the day’s biggest heartbreak. After his first pitstop, I said that that the race was his to lose. Unfortunately, he proved me correct. What a tough break for Foster and the RLL team.

Drama- Marcus Ericsson waited and waited to pit. Romain Grosjean pitted a bit early and tried to hang on. Grosjean nearly succeeded, but Ericsson had the fastest car on track, His seven second margin at the end was astounding.

Like during yesterday’s qualifying, contenders and potential contenders fell out of the race. Power and Kirkwood ran through the field from the back with relative ease and became players mid race.

Pit Strategy– What was the correct strategy? It varied at every point of the afternoon. It turns out two stops were sufficient thanks to the seven caution periods. The top four finishers made stopped twice.

Today’s win was arguably Ericsson’s finest drive in IndyCar. I believe it is the first time he won a race in which no red flags stopped the action. His ability to drive past anyone at will, his move to get by Alex Palou late in the race, and t5he way he ran away from Grosjean after taking the lead was a racing master class.

“We were the fastest car all day, I thought,” he said. “Obviously, there were a lot of (cautions), so we had to stay out (longer on the final sequence). I wanted to show the pace and open a gap, so we gambled on staying out. I had the pace and we were lapping so quick (after coming out of the pits on Lap 69) seventh. It was a lot of work to get through the leaders.”

Will Power also had a lot of speed, and he fought through many adventures on an Odyssean run to the podium.

Andretti cars were the class of the field. At one point the Power, Ericsson and Kirkwood were running second, third, and fourth. Kirkwood’s crash spoiled what could have been a team podium sweep.

Romain Grosjean earned his sixth career second place. Like today, he was in contention for the win.

Markham is the third race of 2026 where Palou did not lead a lap. The points leader appeared to be catching leader Grosjean late in the race, but he bobbled in a turn. Ericsson and Power both got past him.

Rinus VeeKay fought a car with a broken front wing to a seventh-place finish. VeeKay has been a regular member of the Fast Six, and he has backed up his starting spot with consistent Top 10s.

Graham Rahal earned his fourth Top 10 of the season. RLL has shown great improvement in qualifying tin 2026, and I look for a big jump from them next year.

The Hairpin– Turn 5 saw a lot of wild action. I think some modification might take place in 2027, but I hope not too much. Making the corner faster might help, but I really liked the madness that ensued.

All is Forgiven– After Friday’s track build fiasco, the new Mar4kham track produced two days of great IndyCar action, including one of the best street races I have ever seen. I wish we could run there again next weekend.

Results

Marcus Ericsson Staying With Andretti Global in 2027 Season

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From IndyCar:

Andretti Global announced Aug. 6 it has signed Marcus Ericsson to stay with its NTT INDYCAR SERIES team for the 2027 season.

Ericsson (photo, top), who won the 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge with Chip Ganassi Racing, will stay at Andretti Global for a fourth season in 2027. The Swede will compete the team’s three-driver lineup alongside Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood.

“I’m really excited about the contract extension,” Ericsson said. “I think it’s been a good year for us. We’ve really been turning things around after last year, and we’ve put in a lot of hard work, and that’s really been paying off.

“The results haven’t always gone our way this year, but I feel like we’ve been competitive and in the mix on every type of track. That makes me excited for next year and to be able to build on the momentum we’ve created this year. So, I’m super excited about that.”

Marcus Ericsson

Ericsson (photo, above), 35, is ninth in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings this season in a rebound after finishing a career-low 20th last season. He earned his first career NTT P1 Award for pole in March on the Streets of Arlington and finished a season-best second in June at World Wide Technology Raceway.

“One of our priorities has been building consistency across our INDYCAR program, and bringing Marcus back is an important part of that,” Andretti Global President Jill Gregory said. “He’s shown exactly what he’s capable of this season through the speed and results he’s delivered. Keeping our driver lineup together next season allows us to build on the chemistry and performance we’ve established as a team.”

Ericsson’s return provides continuity to a lineup that has combined for one victory, two pole positions and 11 top-five finishes this season.

Ericsson Takes Arlington Pole

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NOTE: Tomorrow’s Java House Grand Prix of Arlington has been moved up on hour. FOX will be on the air at 11:30 am Eastern time with the green flag at Noon Eastern. The change is due to predicted high winds later in the afternoon.

It has been 13 years since Marcus Ericsson won a pole position for a race. Today that streak ended as Ericsson won the pole in a new format for tomorrow’s IndyCar race at Arlington, Texas. Ericsson had the advantage of running his single Fast Six lap on warm tires, and his time stood up to a challenge by Alex Palou, the last driver on track.

“I’ve waited long enough; I can tell you that,” a jubilant Ericsson said. “I think 2013 was the last pole I had. I feel like this is a giant thing for me because of that. Two-hundredths of a second away at St. Pete.”

Ericsson’s winning margin was a bit less than half a second over the defending series champion.

Team Penske had won the pole in each of the first two races, with Scott McLaughlin in the top spot at St. Petersburg and David Malukas in first after qualifying at Phoenix. Today was not the team’s best day. While all three cars were very fast, Josef Newgarden hit the wall in morning practice, forcing him to go to a backup car. In qualifying Scott McLaughlin also made wall contact in Round 1. Malukas couldn’t quite find the speed he had earlier. No Penske car made the Fast Six.

Another pole favorite, Kyle Kirkwood, also missed the Fast Six. His teammates, Ericsson and Will Power, did get to the final round. Kirkwood starts seventh tomorrow.

For Power, today marks his first sign of success with the team after a difficult morning in which he made contact Scott Dixon.

Meyer Shank Racing put both of their cars in the Fast Six. Felix Rosenqvist will star fifth, and Marcus Armstrong rolls off sixth.

The New Fast Six

I didn’t hate it, but I can’t say I was thrilled by it. I think the Fast Six format has potential with some tweaking. A better television presentation might have helped hold my interest more also.

Rule Changes: Ericsson seemed to have a big advantage going first since his tires were still warm from the end of Round 2. There are ways to remedy this. Here are some suggestions, not necessarily meant to be implemented as a group

  1. A 10 minute break allowing everyone’s tires to cool. OR
  2. The leader of Round 2 gets to choose when he makes his run. OR
  3. Tire warmers which must come off when the car on track is two corners from the alt. start line.
  4. Limit use of this format to tracks shorter than Arlington. I thought the length of the track contributed to some of the dullness of the shootout.

FOX could help viewer interest by providing sector times with comparison to where the leader was at a particular point on track. Showing times in green and red was a halfway job of marking progress. I want to know how much slower or faster t6he car is to the leader on the board. A map tracker would also help for the entire run.

Results

Final Thoughts on the 109th Indianapolis 500

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There is just no getting around it. Yesterday’s Indianapolis 500 was a strange two part race. Part 1 saw 45% of the laps run under caution. Part 2 was caution free until the second half of the last lap.

There was little passing for the lead, but the number of pit strategies scrambled the top of the field. but kept the leaders in traffic all day. Traffic played a part in the end of the race.

Teammates Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster were having arguably the best battle on the track- for 14th place. Unfortunately, they were right in front of the race leaders. Yes, they have a right to stay on the lead lap, but with 10 laps to go in the race, and knowing they would get a wave around if the yellow came out, why not make them step out of the leaders’ way? It could have been a terrific three car finish between Palou, Ericsson, and Malukas.

Sometimes the 500 just produces a race that is not great. Part of it may have been the weather, but I think the hybrid and its extra weight hampered what had been a great show the last few years.

How much does it hurt to lose Indy?

I don’t know who snapped this shot, but Marcus Ericsson was despondent after the race. He told the media it was “pretty painful,” and that it would keep him up for several nights.

Ericsson went a little wide going into turn 1, and Palou was able to slip by him.

I appreciate Alex Palou drinking the milk, then triumphantly raising the bottle in tribute instead of pouring it over his head. I always thought the winner pouring the milk over his head was ridiculous. I hope Palou has started a trend to end that practice. Now if he just hadn’t kissed the bricks…

I thought yesterday’s singing of the National Anthem was the worst I have heard at the 500 since Steven Tyler sang in 2001. Natalie Grant’s version reinforced my belief that at every sporting event, the venue should just paly an instrumental recording of the anthem by the US Army Band.

The helicopters that followed the field around on the pace and parade laps were distracting and annoying. The field for the Indianapolis 500 lined up in11 rows of three in perfect formation coming to the green flag is one of the most beautiful sights in all of sports. It doesn’t need a so called “enhancement” or any additive feature at all. It stands on its own.

Rookie of the Year?

While all the rookies finished 15th or lower, Robert Shwartzman winning the pole is the thing that will get him the award. Nolan Siegel was likely in line for it until his crash on the final lap.

Practice 1 Complete- Lots of Pole Contenders, Weather Permitting

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The first practice for the Grand Prix of Alabama was another strong showing for the Andretti team, with Marcus Ericsson the fastest and Colton Herta third. Alex Palou and Team Penske are not far behind, and the way qualifying groups fall could determine how everything shakes out.

Team Penske put all three cars in the top 10. Will Power led the team in fourth.

The X factor tomorrow will be the weather. Rain is expected at times Saturday, and is likely during IndyCar qualifying.

Results

Ericsson Tops Practice

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Marcus Ericsson led morning practice as IndyCars teams prepare for this afternoon’s Firestone Grand prix of St. Petersburg qualifying. Ericsson’s lap of1:00.5151 edged Rinus VeeKay by 0,09 seconds. Ericsson set his quick time on primary tires while VeeKay was on the alternates for his best lap.

It was a very good session for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Conor Daly was fifth and Sting Ray Robb finished the session in seventh. David maluks, in his first outing for A. J. Foyt Racing, wwas 10th’

Josef newgarden was the quickest Penske driver in 14th. Will Power stalled in turn 1 early in the practice, which brought out a red flag. Scott McLaughlin ran some very cautious laps’

A second red flag just past the midway point flew because of a track surface issue in turn 12.

Each of the Andretti cars has led a practice segment the last two days.

Qualifying begins at 2:30 pm Eastern on FS1.

Results

Andretti Liveries- Something, Something New

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Andretti Global revealed their 2025 liveries yesterday. Colton Herta’s number 26 remains pretty much the same, while Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson will sport combinations of red, white, and black. on the 27 and 28.

Auto Nation dropped its sponsorship of the 27, so Kirkwood will drive with Chili’s sponsorship. Ericsson now carries primary sponsorship from Bryant heating and Cooling, which has been an associate sponsor.

I’m glad that the cars of Kirkwood and Ericsson have different combinations of the red,white, and black. There are plenty of red and white cars on the grid already with paint schemes that are very similar.

Ericsson Fastest Overall; O’Ward Leads Morning Session

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Marcus Ericsson had the fastest overall time of the two day Sebring test session for Indycar. The 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner led the final test round as 12 cars turned laps on the test’s final day. Pato O’Ward led the morning session.

Colin Braun, in his Indycar debut for Dale Coyne Racing, turned a faster lap than Jack Harvey did in the other Coyne car on Monday.

Kyffin Simpson was the fastest rookie driver, ninth overall.

Tuesday Morning Tims:

Results from Tuesday afternoon:

Overall Combined results:

Hybrid Testing Wrap-up

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If last week’s hybrid testing at IMS proved anything, is that the drivers are still uncertain how the new power tool will work during a race, how it will affect fuel mileage, and its effect on tire wear. Two of the drivers participating in the test, Marcus Ericsson and David Malukas, not only need to learn how to work the new hybrid system, but they also have the added burden of getting acquainted with new teams as well.

Ericsson and Malukas spoke to the media after the morning session on Friday.

Both drivers are excited about their new teams, and they are happy to get the opportunity to test so soon.

Ericsson likes that he is going o Andretti as a known quantity, unlike when he joined Ganassi four years ago.

Marcus Ericsson

“I hadn’t really shown what I can do (when joining Ganassi) and then now, coming from being a 500 winner, and then, winning multiple races. I think you can definitely feel that excitement from the organization and the team for me to get there and you know, I’m excited to get to get going and get working. I think, like I said, the potential is really big in the team…”

Ericsson said that the hybrid addition will keep the drivers even busier in the cockpit, but he thinks it will show which drivers really are the best.

“…on an oval you have the weight jacker, you have in front the rear bar and now you have to regen and deploy as well, so it’s getting busier in the cockpits I think that’s the biggest thing. And then we’re still working on you know, different things, which is you know, how much range and how much deploy and all that. There’s still a process that we’re going through that I think is exciting, it’s exciting, but it’s serious. It’s a really cool up here that we’re gonna have, and I’m hoping it’s gonna be a way where you can as a driver be, you know, smarter than your competitors and do it better than your competitors. “

Ericsson is thrilled that he has the opportunity to test with his new team so soon, and he hopes to get to do more testing to help him learn the team and the car.

Malukas was a bit overwhelmed at the wealth of resources he now has available at Arrow Mclaren, and he is excited to take advantage of them.

David Malukas

“I walked in and every quarter I looked around, obviously shining gold and like so many so much stuff. And you know coming in I don’t even know how to use it but thankfully they have you ever good. Everybody’s been super friendly and introducing everything to me. They can get comfortable. And specifically, Tony has been showing me the ropes. Like hey, so this is how you use this resource. This is what I think you should do and it’s really getting me comfortable and getting used to all these sporting resources.”

Like Ericsson, Malukas is excited to get some laps in the car with his new team, and he appreciates their trust in him.

“Yeah, they’re trusting me I can get the feedback and from my side, I just get to do laps and do more and more laps and at the end of the day, the more practice.”

He thinks the hybrid power system is a positive foir the series.

“I find it very good. I’ve you know been enjoying it. You know, it adds more tools for the drivers I feel like it can kind of separate you know, the drivers from the top to that the best to the worst on when it comes to hydroset. It’s another tool that you can time to regen once you deploy setup passes. I think it’s gonna have a bit of a bit of a big play here at the moment.”

Malukas isn’t sure what effect the added weight will have on tire wear. he was hoping they will get more information Friday afternoon.

” I think we’ll see by the end of today. Once we start doing a bit longer runs, being in traffic, seeing how it’s gonna play out but it all depends on when you want to use that extra power. You know, if you want to say the tire, use it on the straight, don’t use it in the corner and then it’s you know, you’re kind of saving the tire.”

There will be some more hybrid testing at different tracks before the end of the year, but testing isn’t racing. The big test will be at St. Pete in the season opener. Until then we have to wait and see.