Marcus Ericsson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marcus Ericsson
Ericsson in 2023
Born	Marcus Thorbjörn Ericsson (1990-09-02) 2 September 1990 (age 34) Kumla, Örebro, Sweden
IndyCar Series career
97 races run over 6 years
Team(s)	No. 28 (Andretti Global)
Best finish	6th (2021, 2022, 2023)
First race	2019 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg)
Last race	2024 Music City Grand Prix (Nashville Superspeedway)
First win	2021 Detroit Grand Prix, Race 1 (Belle Isle)
Last win	2023 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg)
Wins Podiums Poles 4 11 0
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Swedish
Active years	2014–2018
Teams	Caterham, Sauber
Car number	9
Entries	97 (97 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	18
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	2014 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Previous series
2010–2013 2009–2011 2009 2008–2009 2007	GP2 Series GP2 Asia Series Japanese F3 British F3 Formula BMW UK
Championship titles
2022 2009 2007	Indianapolis 500 Japanese F3 Formula BMW UK
Awards
2007, 2009	Swedish Junior Racer of the Year

Marcus Thorbjörn Ericsson (born September 2, 1990) is a Swedish racing driver. He currently races in the IndyCar Series for Andretti. Before this, Marcus competed in Formula One, the highest class of single-seater racing, from 2014 to 2018. A big moment in his career was winning the famous Indianapolis 500 race in 2022 with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Marcus grew up in Kumla, Sweden. He started kart racing when he was nine years old and won many national titles. In 2007, he began racing cars and won the British Formula BMW title. He then moved to the British Formula Three Championship. After that, he won the All-Japan Formula Three Championship in his first year, 2009. In 2010, he joined the GP2 Series and won a race. He raced in GP2 until 2013 before moving to Formula One in 2014 with Caterham F1.

Marcus's Early Racing Days

Starting with Karting

Marcus Thorbjörn Ericsson was born in Kumla, Sweden. His first experience with motorsport was racing karts at age nine. A kart circuit owner, Fredrik Ekblom, noticed Marcus's talent. He told Richard Dutton, a racing team boss, about the young driver.

Marcus's family didn't have a lot of money for racing. But Ekblom convinced Marcus's father to buy him a kart. Marcus raced karts for four years. He didn't think racing would be his job because of the cost.

In 2006, former race car driver Kenny Bräck started supporting Marcus. Bräck saw Marcus race in Gothenburg. He said Marcus was "clearly the best out there." Bräck was impressed by Marcus's patience and smart moves on the track. He compared Marcus to the famous driver Alain Prost.

Ericsson won his second Formula BMW race at Brands Hatch by six seconds.

Winning in Formula BMW

Kenny Bräck helped Marcus join Fortec Motorsport for the 2007 Formula BMW UK season. Marcus hoped to finish in the top eight at first. He aimed for podiums and wins later in the year. His first win came at Brands Hatch. He finished third in one race and won the next from the very front.

Autosport magazine called Marcus "the best young talent" Bräck had ever seen. Marcus, at 16, won the Formula BMW UK title by 40 points. He became the last champion of this series before it joined with the German series.

Moving to Formula Three

Ericsson driving for Fortec Motorsport at the Croft round of the 2008 British Formula Three Championship.

After winning in Formula BMW, Marcus wanted to race in Formula Three. He tested with different teams. He decided to stay with Fortec's British Formula 3 team. He earned two pole positions and several podium finishes. He ended up fifth overall in the championship.

In 2008, Marcus signed with the Japanese F3 team TOM'S. He wanted to gain experience to win the Macau Grand Prix. He won the Japanese F3 championship in 2009. He also won races when he returned to British F3 for guest appearances.

Ericsson driving for TOM'S at the 2009 Macau Grand Prix, where he finished fourth.

At the Macau Grand Prix, he started from pole position. He finished the main race in fourth place.

Racing in GP2 Series

Marcus then moved to the GP2 Asia Series in 2009–2010. He first drove for ART Grand Prix. Later, he joined Super Nova Racing for the 2010 GP2 Series. He got his first win in the series at Valencia. He finished 17th in the championship.

Ericsson driving for iSport at the Monza round of the 2011 GP2 Series.

In 2011, Marcus switched to the iSport International team. He finished sixth in the Asia series and tenth in the main series. He stayed with iSport for 2012. He won a race at Spa. He finished in the points six times in a row, including two podiums. This helped him finish eighth in the championship.

In 2013, he joined the DAMS team, which had won championships before. He earned pole positions in Spain and Great Britain. He won the main race in Germany. He also got podium finishes in Hungary, Belgium, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi. He finished sixth in the championship that year.

Marcus's Formula One Journey

Marcus tested a Formula One car for Brawn GP in December 2009. The team boss, Ross Brawn, praised Marcus. He said Marcus showed "exceptional maturity" for a young driver.

With Caterham (2014)

On January 21, 2014, it was announced that Marcus would race for the Caterham F1 Team. His teammate was Kamui Kobayashi. Marcus started 20th in his first race, the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. He was running 11th but had to stop due to oil pressure problems.

Ericsson during the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix where he wore a special helmet in tribute to famous Swedish Formula One driver Ronnie Peterson.

In Malaysia, he finished 14th. In Spain, he qualified better than his teammate. At the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix, he crashed with Williams driver Felipe Massa in qualifying. He had to start from the pit lane but finished 11th, almost scoring points.

He crashed in the rain at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He was not hurt, but his car was badly damaged. In Japan, he qualified 19th. He spun behind the safety car in heavy rain but fought back to finish 17th.

Caterham F1 faced financial problems in late 2014. Marcus ended his contract with the team on November 12. He finished the season in 19th place.

With Sauber (2015–2018)

Ericsson (center) leading Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel at the 2015 Canadian Grand Prix.

On November 1, 2014, Sauber announced that Marcus would join them for 2015. In his first race with Sauber in Australia, he finished eighth. This was the first time a Swedish driver scored points in F1 since 1989.

He made it to the final qualifying session (Q3) in Malaysia and China. He scored one point in China. In Bahrain, a pit stop error dropped him down the field. He finished 11th in the 2015 British Grand Prix. He scored more points with 10th place finishes in Hungary and Belgium. He finished 9th in Italy. Sauber announced that Marcus would stay with the team for 2016.

Ericsson driving the C35 Sauber at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix.

In 2016, Sauber had money problems and missed pre-season testing. Marcus had to retire in Australia due to car vibrations. He finished 12th in Bahrain. In Russia, he recovered from a first-lap crash to finish 14th. He crashed in qualifying at Silverstone and Hungary. He finished 11th in Mexico, just outside the points.

Ericsson driving the C36 Sauber at the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix.

Marcus's 2017 season started with a car problem in Australia. He finished 15th in China. He had another retirement in Bahrain due to a gearbox issue. His best result was 11th in Azerbaijan. He did not score any points during the 2017 season.

Ericsson driving the C37 Sauber at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.

Ericsson in 2018.

For 2018, Marcus stayed with Sauber, which became the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team. His new teammate was Charles Leclerc. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, Marcus finished ninth. This was his first time scoring points since 2015, after 49 races. He scored more points in Austria, Germany, Belgium, USA, and Mexico. At the Italian Grand Prix, Marcus had a high-speed crash in practice. His car rolled three times, but he was not hurt.

Before the 2018 Russian Grand Prix, it was announced that Marcus would be replaced by Antonio Giovinazzi for 2019. Marcus remained with the team as a reserve driver.

Marcus's IndyCar Career

Ericsson (No. 7) driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2019.

On October 30, 2018, Marcus announced he would race full-time in the 2019 IndyCar Series for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Rookie Season (2019)

In his first year, Marcus earned a podium finish at the Detroit Grand Prix. He finished 17th in the points standings for the 2019 season.

With Chip Ganassi Racing (2020–2023)

2020: Second Season

Marcus moved to Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2020 IndyCar Series season. In this shorter season, he finished in the top ten in more than half of his races. His best result was fourth place at Road America.

2021: A Big Year

Ericsson driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021.

Marcus continued with Chip Ganassi Racing for at least two more seasons. 2021 was a very successful year for him in IndyCar. He won his first IndyCar race in Detroit. He benefited when the race leader's car stopped.

He finished second at Mid Ohio. Then, he won his second race at the exciting Nashville event. This put him in the running for the series title. He finished the season in 6th place in the driver's championship with 435 points.

2022: Indianapolis 500 Champion

Marcus showed strong performance in his third season with Chip Ganassi Racing. He got his first podium finish on an oval track at the XPEL 375 in Texas, finishing third. Marcus, wearing a helmet honoring Swedish F1 legend Ronnie Peterson, won the 2022 Indianapolis 500. He held off Pato O'Ward after a late restart.

Marcus became the second Swedish driver to win the Indianapolis 500, after Kenny Bräck in 1999. His win in the Indy 500 and other good results put him in the lead of the IndyCar Series championship. He finished sixth in the drivers' standings.

2023 Season

Ericsson driving in the 2023 Indianapolis 500.

Marcus started his 2023 season by winning the first race in St. Petersburg. He finished second in the 2023 Indianapolis 500. Josef Newgarden passed him on the very last lap. Marcus finished 6th in the standings for the third year in a row.

Joining Andretti Autosport (2024-Present)

Ericsson's 2024 car for Andretti Autosport.

On August 23, 2023, it was announced that Marcus Ericsson would leave Chip Ganassi Racing. He joined Andretti Autosport for the 2024 season.

Marcus's Family

Marcus has a younger brother named Hampus. Hampus is also a racing driver.

Racing Record Summary

Racing career summary

Indianapolis 500 Results

See also

In Spanish: Marcus Ericsson para niños