Marcus Ericsson on redemption, resilience, and why 2026 feels like a turning point in IndyCar
Marcus Ericsson does not flinch when asked about 2025.
There is no attempt to soften it, no polished deflection. The former Indianapolis 500 winner calls it what it was: disappointing. Not catastrophic. Not career-defining. But below the level he knows he can deliver in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
“Last year should have been a better year,” Ericsson admitted ahead of the 2026 season opener in St. Petersburg. “It was just going the other way.”
For a driver entering his eighth IndyCar season and third with Andretti Global, the tone was neither defensive nor defeated. It was analytical. Reflective. Determined.
And clear.
“My mindset is that I want to be back in the front of the field fighting for podiums and wins on a regular basis.”
In a championship defined by microscopic margins and unforgiving momentum swings, that statement carries weight.
Ericsson’s résumé remains impressive. He has won on street circuits. He has won the Indianapolis 500. He has proven he can handle the physical and psychological demands of American open-wheel racing.
But 2025 did not reflect that version of him.
The speed was often there. The results were not.
“It wasn’t that we were bad,” he explained. “We were just missing a little bit. And in INDYCAR, if you miss a little bit, suddenly you’re P20.”
That reality defines modern IndyCar. The field is so compressed that being slightly off in balance or execution can bury a driver deep in the order. There is no margin for drifting. No tolerance for comfort.
Ericsson understands that now more than ever.
The Emotional Weight of May
The emotional turning point of last season came in May.
After previously conquering the Indianapolis 500, Ericsson returned believing he could do it again. When circumstances beyond his control altered the outcome and stripped away what could have been another defining result, the impact was real.
“It affected my confidence,” he said candidly.
That honesty is rare in elite motorsport. Drivers are conditioned to project certainty. Ericsson instead acknowledged the psychological toll.
He admits that losing control over something so significant lingered longer than he expected. In a schedule that stacked race upon race after the 500, there was little time to process it.
“You didn’t really have a chance to lean back and think. It was just race after race.”
That emotional residue, he now believes, influenced the rhythm of the rest of the season.
The off-season was not spent waiting for confidence to return. It was spent rebuilding it.
Ericsson has long invested in mental performance training, working weekly with a specialist in Sweden. But this winter, the emphasis intensified. Reflection became structured. Weaknesses were confronted rather than ignored.
“I’ve worked really hard this off-season,” he said. “I’ve tried to put myself outside my comfort zone.”
That meant driving different cars in unfamiliar environments. It meant embracing discomfort deliberately. It meant sharpening adaptability.
The goal was not to change who he is as a driver. It was to refine him.
“There’s a bunch of things,” he added. “It’s about getting back to the level I know I can be at.”
A New Dynamic at Andretti
Ericsson does not carry that responsibility alone. Andretti Global enters 2026 with renewed internal energy.
Will Power’s arrival brings experience and championship perspective. Ron Ruzewski’s leadership adds structure. On Ericsson’s car, a new engineering partnership with Ron Barhorst has already shown promise during preseason testing at Sebring and Phoenix.
“I feel like we made some big steps to get the car more in the window I want it to be in,” Ericsson said.
That detail matters more than headline lap times. In IndyCar, comfort equals confidence. Confidence equals precision. And precision equals results.
The early tests were encouraging. Until, of course, the final hour at Phoenix ended abruptly with a crash.
“I was very frustrated,” Ericsson admitted. “It was something out of my control.”
But this time, the reset came quickly.
“The next day it’s focus on the next thing.”
Experience has taught him that racing can swing violently from optimism to frustration in minutes. The difference in 2026 may be how quickly he steadies himself afterward.
If there is a track that feels like a natural reset point, it is the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Ericsson won there in 2023. He thrives on street circuits, where precision and rhythm outweigh brute aggression.
“I like when the walls are close,” he said. “You have to be precise. That suits me.”
Beyond the layout, St. Pete carries emotional familiarity. The city embraces the event. Swedish fans escape winter to support him. The energy feels optimistic.
“It’s a perfect place to start the season.”
And this year, starting strong is not optional.
The 2026 IndyCar schedule launches aggressively, with four races in five weekends. There is no easing into form. No gradual adjustment.
“You need to be ready when you get there,” he said. “There’s no time to feel it out.”
Contract Year Clarity
Adding another layer to the season is Ericsson’s contract status. 2026 is a contract year. For some, that creates anxiety. For Ericsson, it feels familiar.
“Before I got to Andretti, every season was a contract year for me,” he said. “It’s back to normal.”
He does not treat the situation as a distraction. He treats it as incentive.
“It’s a results-driven sport. You’ve got to deliver.”
There is no romanticism in that assessment. Just reality. When asked about racing against dominant champions like Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1 and now Alex Palou in IndyCar, Ericsson offered perspective. Watching Hamilton’s era of dominance was inspiring. Racing against Palou, he says, is uniquely challenging.
“In INDYCAR, it’s a spec series. To be that dominant is extremely difficult.”
Palou’s recent control of the championship has raised the benchmark. Ericsson acknowledges it without hesitation.
“It gives the rest of us a lot of homework.”
That homework defines his 2026 mission.
The Evolution of Marcus Ericsson
When Ericsson reflects on his eighth season in IndyCar, there is pride but not complacency.
He arrived in America after five difficult years in Formula 1, determined to prove something to himself.
“I wanted to show that I could perform at a top level,” he said.
Winning multiple races and the Indianapolis 500 confirmed that belief.
But his ambition has not faded.
“I want to win more races. I want to win at least another 500.”
At 35, Ericsson is not chasing validation. He is chasing fulfillment. If there is a through line in Marcus Ericsson’s career, it is resilience. The 2025 season tested him.
“I think all those ups and downs shape you,” he said. “They make you stronger.”
He does not deny the setbacks. He reframes them, and that reframing may ultimately define 2026. Because for Marcus Ericsson, this season is not about reinvention. It is about restoration. A return to the sharp, precise, confident version of himself that has already proven capable of winning the biggest race in American motorsport.
“I know I can do that,” he said. “I’ve shown that plenty of times.”
Now, he intends to show it again. And in a championship where hundredths of a second separate frustration from glory, that belief might be the most important detail of all.
written by Philipp Kraus // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
