When Marcus Ericsson crossed the finish line in the Indy 500, he not only won. take revenge, pEvans on everyone who has criticized him over the years.
– I’ve got a lot of bullshit, and even if it didn’t affect anyone, I took it upon myself, he says.
– I used it as a lighter and stimulating liquid. It’s so nice to be able to tap my middle finger on everyone who treated me this way.
He is so happy and proud after the crazy days since he won the Indy 500. A victory he knew he could achieve, but didn’t yet realize he had.
– It is impossible to describe. I didn’t have a minute to take it easy and feel it, he says when we talk less than two days after the surprise win.
– It feels such a beautiful revenge.
revenge you say Do you feel this way?
– yes. Really revenge. It doesn’t matter how strong you are, because when you read and hear a lot of nonsense, you are affected. He says I got a lot of shit over the years.
– But when everything was decided, I won the race not once but twice. I couldn’t have gotten a more difficult ending than I did. No driver who drove the restart was able to maintain the lead, no one but me. Being able to do this really is revenge.
At the press conference you said “not bad for a pay driver”, did you feel that you were considered a pay driver?
– Absolutely. This is how it is. Things have improved here in the States after last year when I won two races. I was not seen as a driver who came here on my own merits, but as a driver who would pay me. In the last year there has been a little progress and I have to show that there is talent and this really is a rematch. People say victory in the Indy 500 changes your life, but so far I haven’t had time to feel it. Everything was completely crazy.
Marcus Ericsson on the press before the restart
After the victory, Marcus Ericsson went to banquets and parties, traveled privately to New York, opened the stock exchange, was a guest star at baseball, and had time to sleep for a few hours. He had time to rethink a race that stayed in the plan only to be in the top four for the first 150 laps and then attack the last two stages. He followed the plan at every point.
– But then things got worse in the warehouse, I stopped for eight seconds and fell from third to eighth. Then I thought it was over. I never thought I’d be able to climb to the top again. It was so critical I decided to save fuel so I could drive three laps longer than anyone before my last stop, he says.
– You know things can happen when you drive 80 km. People make mistakes and it is very important that they have the fuel left when the decision is finally made.
“He was losing it”
He made an insanely good comeback, when teammate Scott Dixon took a penalty and re-drive both cars from McLaren before facing slow traffic. Then he took the lead.
He achieved victory as if in a small box with only five laps remaining. Then teammate Jimmy Johnson crashed.
– I was really about to lose him. I had the lead, and I should have won, so he just went and crashes. There I was so angry I couldn’t believe my teammate crashed when I was driving the Indy 500 by three seconds. I was going to win that, the race was mine, so the race was broken and we had to start over.
– I was very angry, but the team did a great job on the radio and put pressure on me. But I had to say it out loud to myself, and I said it really out loud; It was never thought that it would be easy to win the biggest race in the world. Is there a time when I must prove that I can, it is now, once and for all.
What plan do you have before restarting?
– They were such a challenge, I thought in detail what I would do. I had it all in my head. Over the years, I’ve seen so many videos and clips of ovals that I knew exactly where to brake, where to accelerate, and where to put the car to break the slipstream.
– I thought a lot about this situation and now I somehow managed to get into it and then it became a combustion in itself. You are incredibly determined. I will do what I decided and did.
I’ve been following you for over ten years and got to know a very organized, highly planned and well prepared guy. When you say this, it sounds like Marcus is a bit too much. Don’t leave the rider driving emotion but without the details to chance.
– No, quite right, it’s Marcus one hundred percent. I’m exactly that kind of driver and that ultimately pays off since I came to IndyCar I thought the oval would work for me and this year I really got it.
You’ve always told me the Championship is bigger than the Indy 500. Is that still true?
– Ha, ha, ha, I never said that or? So the more you are in the US, the more you understand how big the Indy 500 is and is bigger than the championship. It’s quite an achievement to win a championship that takes a whole season, but when you win an Indy 500 you become immortal. Now I have to win both.
Is the door to Formula 1 closed now?
– Therefore, it does not close completely. But that’s not something I’ve been thinking about for the past 48 hours. If you made a boom in IndyCar last year, you’ve nailed that screw into the coffin now. I hope I can fight for wins in the IndyCar and Indy 500 for at least another ten years.
Ahead of this weekend’s competition in Detroit, he leads the championship. He made it to the track where he took his first podium place and where he won his first race a year ago. Now he’s there after two crazy days and he’s far from ready as he would like.
– If there’s one path to get to after an Indy 500 victory, it’s Detroit. It’s kind of a favorite of mine and I still feel safe there,” says Marcus Ericsson.
– At the same time, it will not be a mistake to have a free weekend. I slept five hours in two days, but from Wednesday I will recharge. Then there is the entire focus on the tournament. I have put myself in a position where I can win the Indy 500 race and the championship and this opportunity is going to take me.
Combined with the Monaco GP and the 24-hour Le Mans race, the Indy 500 is the biggest thing a racing driver can win, and victory in the Indy 500 isn’t just about Marcus Ericsson in motorsport history. It is the history of Swedish sport.
Sergio Perez extends with Red Bull
More from Marcus, talk about the Indy 500 and Monaco GP can be found on this week’s episode of Plattan i Mattan.
Just as I predicted when we recorded the podcast on Monday, it also became clear with the winner’s future in Monaco. Yesterday, Red Bull announced that Sergio Perez has extended his contract with the stable until 2024. Two more years.
This means that the competition with the top teams until 2023. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have contracts until 2024. At Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have contracts until 2023, Perez has contracts with Red Bull until 2024 and Max Verstappen is obligated until 2028.
At McLaren, Lando Norris has a contract until 2025 and Daniel Ricciardo until 2023 – on paper at least. Then it doesn’t have to mean much.