Now IndyCar driver Marcus Ericsson speaks about his F1 career and his current championship along with Charles Leclerc and more.
Not long after his virtual sit-down with Haas F1 Team’s Romain Grosjean which happened in March, photographer Kym Illman was back in front of a camera, this time to chat with Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar driver Ericsson via video conferencing.
In the conversational Q&A format, Ericsson answered a wide range of questions from his home in Indianapolis, starting with the first race of his foregone F1 career, and how it felt for the Swede to arrive in the paddock in 2014.
This conversation evolved into one about whether or not his excitement diminished over time, and the ex-Sauber driver admitted that this was the case, before Illman and himself promptly moved on to the members of ‘Ericsson camp’, such as his managers, and trainers.
After this discussion of the emotional side of being in F1, Ericsson answered about the physical sensation, from the tight cockpit hugging the body, to the bumps of street circuits bruising frequently, and dealing with the power of the cars.
From here, Illman asked about the differences between F1 and IndyCar – the series in which he currently races. Primarily, Ericsson pointed to the obvious spec series system, but also the difference in driving, as he said that the Dallara machines are more work to keep on track due to their lacking downforce.
On the personal side, Ericsson said that the American championship’s community of drivers is more tight-knit, mostly due to the fact that in IndyCar, there is more opportunity for socialization among competitors off-track.
Speaking further about his F1 counterparts, the 29-year-old complimented his ex-teammate and now Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and credited himself with seeing the Monegasque’s potential early on in their relationship.
Moving on, Ericsson relayed his highest moments like a podium in Detroit in IndyCar, and an eighth place finish in F1 in Melbourne – his best finish of his entire career. This contrasted a discussion which came later, about his massive crash at Monza in 2018.
In that discussion, Ericsson shed light on the series of events that ultimately led to the crash, highlighting the lack of DRS testing in FP1 due to rain that weekend. The Swede talked about his relation with Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Leclerc.
Here’s the interview with Marcus Ericsson:
Here’s Daniel Ricciardo rating Marcus Ericsson highly
Here’s how he fared in last iRacing IndyCar Challenge round
Here’s Romain Grosjean speaking on multiple topics
The story was edited by Darshan Chokhani