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, 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	2021 Honda Indy 200 (Mid-Ohio)
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 2 September 1990) is a Swedish racing driver. He currently competes in the IndyCar Series for Andretti. Before joining IndyCar, Ericsson raced in Formula One from 2014 to 2018. A major highlight of his career is winning the famous Indianapolis 500 race in 2022.

Marcus started racing karts when he was nine years old. He won several national titles. In 2007, he began racing cars and won the British Formula BMW title. He then moved to the British Formula Three Championship. In 2009, he won the All-Japan Formula Three Championship in his first year. He then moved up to the GP2 Series in 2010, where he won a race. He joined Formula One in 2014 with the Caterham F1 team.

Early Racing Days

Starting with Karts

Marcus Thorbjörn Ericsson was born in Kumla, Sweden, on September 2, 1990. He first got into motorsport when he was nine years old, racing karts. A racing expert named Fredrik Ekblom noticed Marcus. He told Richard Dutton, who runs Fortec Motorsport, about Marcus's amazing speed.

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. In 2006, former Champ Car driver Kenny Bräck started supporting Marcus. Bräck saw Marcus race and was very impressed. He said Marcus had great patience and made perfect moves, reminding him of the famous driver Alain Prost.

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

Formula BMW Success

Kenny Bräck helped Marcus join Richard Dutton's Fortec Motorsport team. Marcus competed in the 2007 Formula BMW UK series. He hoped to finish in the top eight and maybe get some podiums. But he did much better!

Marcus won his first race at Brands Hatch. He finished third in the first race and won the second from the very front. Autosport magazine called him "the best young talent" Bräck had ever seen. Marcus, at just 16, won the Formula BMW UK title by 40 points. He was the last champion of this series before it combined with the German series.

Moving to Formula Three

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

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

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. At the Macau Grand Prix, he started from pole position and finished fourth.

Racing in GP2 Series

Marcus moved to the GP2 Asia Series in 2009–10. He drove for ART Grand Prix and then Super Nova Racing. In the 2010 GP2 Series, he got his first win in Valencia. He finished 17th in the championship.

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

For 2011, Marcus joined 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 and had six straight races where he scored points. This helped him finish eighth in the championship.

In 2013, he raced for the DAMS team. 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.

Formula One Racing

Marcus tested a Formula One car for Brawn GP in December 2009. The team boss, Ross Brawn, praised Marcus for his performance. He said Marcus showed great maturity.

Caterham Team (2014)

In January 2014, it was announced that Marcus Ericsson would race for the Caterham F1 team. His teammate was Kamui Kobayashi.

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

In his first race in Australia, Marcus started 20th. He was running 11th but had to stop due to engine problems. In Malaysia, he finished 14th. In Spain, he out-qualified his teammate for the first time. He finished 20th. In Monaco, he crashed with Felipe Massa during qualifying. He had to start from the pit lane but finished 11th, just missing out on points.

He crashed in the rain in Hungary but was unhurt. In Singapore, he finished 15th. In Japan, he started 17th but spun in heavy rain. He fought back to finish 17th. In Russia, he qualified a career-best 17th. He finished 19th.

Caterham F1 faced financial problems in October 2014. Marcus ended his contract with the team in November. He finished the season in 19th place, the highest of the Caterham drivers.

Sauber Team (2015–2018)

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

2015 Season

In November 2014, the Sauber team announced they had signed Marcus for 2015. In his first race with Sauber in Australia, Marcus finished eighth. This was the first time a Swedish driver scored points in Formula One since 1989.

In Malaysia, he made it to the final qualifying session for the first time, starting 9th. But he spun and had to retire from the race. In China, he again qualified 10th and finished 10th, scoring one point. In Bahrain, a pit stop error dropped him down the field, and he finished 14th. He finished 14th in Spain and 13th in Monaco.

He finished 11th in the British Grand Prix, just outside the points. He scored more points with a 10th-place finish in Hungary and Belgium. In Italy, he qualified 10th and finished 9th, scoring his fifth point-scoring finish of the year. Sauber announced that Marcus would stay with the team for 2016.

Ericsson driving the C35 Sauber at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix

2016 Season

In 2016, Sauber had financial problems and missed pre-season testing. Marcus had to retire in Australia due to vibrations. He finished 12th in Bahrain. He finished 16th in China and 14th in Russia. In Monaco, he was blamed for a crash with his teammate, which meant he started from the back in Canada. He finished 17th in Baku and 15th in Austria. Crashes in qualifying in Silverstone and Hungary forced him to start from the pit lane.

He finished 16th in Italy and 17th in Singapore. He was close to scoring points in Singapore but a team mistake cost him. He finished 12th in Malaysia and 15th in Japan. He finished 14th in Austin and 11th in Mexico. He crashed out of the race in Brazil but finished 15th in Abu Dhabi.

2017 Season

Ericsson driving the C36 Sauber at the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix

Marcus's 2017 season started with a retirement in Australia due to a hydraulic problem. He qualified 14th and finished 15th in China. He retired in Bahrain due to a gearbox problem. He finished 15th in Russia. His best result of the season was 11th in Azerbaijan. Sauber struggled in Monaco, and Marcus crashed. He finished 13th in Canada and did not score any points for the rest of the season.

2018 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, scoring his first points since 2015. He scored more points in Austria, Germany, Belgium, USA, and Mexico. In Italy, Marcus had a high-speed crash during practice when his car's DRS system failed. His car rolled three times, but he was not hurt.

2019 Role

Before the 2018 Russian Grand Prix, it was announced that Marcus would be replaced at Sauber by Antonio Giovinazzi. However, Marcus stayed with the team as their third driver and brand ambassador for 2019.

IndyCar Racing

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

On October 30, 2018, it was announced that Marcus Ericsson would race full-time in the IndyCar Series for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (2019): Rookie Year

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

Chip Ganassi Racing (2020–2023)

2020: Sophomore 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 a fourth-place finish at the second race at Road America.

2021: Breakout Season

Ericsson driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021

Marcus continued with Chip Ganassi Racing for at least two more seasons. 2021 was his breakout year in IndyCar. He scored his first IndyCar win, and his first win in any racing category since 2013, at the first Detroit doubleheader race. He finished second at Mid Ohio. He then won a chaotic race at the first-ever 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 Winner

Marcus continued to show 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 Formula One 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, along with other good results, put him in the lead of the IndyCar Series championship for the first time. 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, being overtaken by Josef Newgarden on the final lap. Marcus finished 6th in the standings for the third year in a row.

Andretti Global (2024–Present)

Ericsson's 2024 car for Andretti Autosport

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

In the 2024 IndyCar Series, Marcus finished 15th in the championship standings. He had a strong second-place finish in Detroit and two fifth-place finishes at Long Beach and Mid-Ohio. He also finished fifth in the second Milwaukee race.

In the 2025 Indianapolis 500, Marcus initially finished second. However, his car failed a technical inspection after the race, and he was disqualified.

Family Life

Marcus's younger brother, Hampus, is also a racing driver.

Racing Highlights

Karting Career Summary

Indianapolis 500 Results

See also

In Spanish: Marcus Ericsson para niños