By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Marcus Ericsson became the latest man to make the flip from Europe’s Formula 1 to America’s NTT IndyCar Series.
Following a five-year stint competing in the global giant of F1, the Swede joined Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for 2019, partnering James Hinchliffe on the competitive team.
And for Ericsson, the 28-year-old will hit his highest point of his short IndyCar career when he starts his first Indianapolis 500 on Sunday from the 13th spot.
Though Ericsson had his share of busy weekends across the world, this month has grabbed his attention.
“This month has been very hectic,” Ericsson said. “It’s a big month of the year. It’s [about] trying to perform, but also enjoy it.”
Running his first oval race this weekend, Ericsson was thrown into the fire, making his first laps at Indy in student mode.
“It’s a new experience being on ovals, I haven’t done anything like it before,” he said. “It is really tough because it is so high speeds, you have to adjust the car while you’re out there running. It’s a very difficult type of racing but a lot of tough. It’s a lot tougher than on TV.”
Finishing a highest of seventh at Birmingham, the opening five races of the year have been a bit of a struggle for Ericsson. Outside his one top 10, he has only one other finish in the top 15 (15th at COTA) with the other three finishes being 20th or worse.
The competition has given Ericsson a true realization of IndyCar’s grid.
“Usually, every qualifying session is like 24 cars covered by a second or something,” he said. “It is really, really tough. Also, the way you have to race in all different types of tracks, that’s also very demanding as a driver.
“It is something very different than anything I’ve done before. To be honest, I really like it. I have a lot of fun out there. It’s definitely a learning experience for me every time I’m out there.”
Standing as reserve driver and ambassador for Alfa Romeo’s F1 team, Ericsson will return to the F1 circuit following the conclusion of the IndyCar calender in October.
“When my season is finished here, I will be going to quite a few of the races in Formula 1,” he said. “I still value that relationship with Alfa Romeo.”
Shifting from driving F1 to watching F1 has been an odd adjustment, he said.
“It’s been strange watching the races from the sofa,” he said. “[Especially] when you’ve been following them for so many years. I’m not having a big problem with it, it’s just a different thing.
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