Ericsson watches on during qualifying for the 106th Indianapolis 500. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
Marcus Ericsson’s 2022 was filled with strong runs and numerous top 10 finishes, including the biggest win of his life when he claimed a historic victory at the Indianapolis 500.
After winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Swedish driver found himself in the lead of the points standings and feeling like he could carry that advantage through the rest of the season.
However a few poor results in the latter half of the year, combined with a few other veteran’s strong performances, saw him slip down the order until he eventually ended the season in the sixth position.
Ericsson still feels a bit disappointed over how the latter part of the season went, but is using that as extra motivation coming into 2023.
“I don’t know if I feel urgency, but I definitely target it,” said Ericsson when asked if there is urgency to win the title this year. “Like I said, I had a chance going into the final [race], but I also was leading the championship for a long time last year.
“I’m still a bit pissed off about the ending of last year because I felt we were having a really strong year, then the last three races or so we just fell off a little bit. That was disappointing.
“But it’s given me a lot of motivation to work hard in the off-season to try and be better this year. It’s definitely our goal to try and get that championship this year.”
Ericsson has pointed out that he actually earned the most points out of any driver between June of 2021 and the Indy 500 in 2022, but the races that bookended that year-long stretch did not produce good enough results to earn him a championship in either season.
Improved consistency is definitely one of the areas that the 32-year-old is targeting this season, but the main focus lies in improving his qualifying pace.
Ericsson swings past the iconic fountain at the Long Beach street circuit. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
“I think us as a team, it’s been one of our weaknesses the last couple years in that we’re not qualifying as high as we should,” continued Ericsson.
“Race day I’m not scared of anyone. I think on the 8 car we’re always going forward in the races; we’re always very strong in the races. It’s no secret that we need to improve on qualifying day. That is us in the 8 car but also Chip Ganassi Racing as a whole. I think if we can all improve, it’s going to help us.
“These days as well, IndyCar is becoming more and more competitive. So many good drivers and teams. If you start mid pack, yeah, it might be long races, but to win a race from mid pack is getting harder and harder.
“It’s been one of the big focus areas in the off-season, to try to find things in the setup, in the way to understand the tires, stuff like that, to mainly improve our qualifying performance. It’s been a big focus for us.”
Keyword: Ericsson’s title hopes fueled by motivation, not urgency