One year ago, Marcus Ericsson met the love of his life.
Now he thanks his girlfriend Iris Tritsaris Jondahl for the biggest victory of his career.
– It meant a lot to me and to the victory in the Indy 500, he says.
Marcus Ericsson He has barely had a minute to think about since he crossed the finish line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After a run like no other, he won the Indy 500.
– I have a clear plan. I knew I had a very good chance because I was in the top five every time I’ve been on the track over the past month. I knew one Chip Ganassi Racing car could win and started with five, he says.
But he had a plan. Being in the top four for the first 150 laps and then attacking for the last two.
Everything seems to be going well. Until there was a problem with the warehouse and he fell from the third position to the eighth position.
– Then I thought it was over. It was very critical and I decided to save fuel so I could drive three laps longer than everyone else at the last stop.
cursing fellow
It was also the key to victory – because he was in front when teammate Jimmy Johnson crashed and the race was stopped.
Then only a few laps left.
– I was really about to lose him. I had the lead, and I should have won, so he just went and crashes. I was so pissed off I couldn’t believe my dream mate collapses when I’m driving for three seconds, he says.
– But I had to say it out loud to myself, and I said it really loudly; 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.
he did. In front of over 400,000 spectators, his immediate family, girlfriend and financiers who have supported him throughout his career.
– They meant so much that they were there, Mom, Dad, Brother and Iris. It was incredibly emotional.
What did your girlfriend mean?
– We’ve been together since January and she meant a lot. It is safe. I can focus on my job, but I feel good on the outside, and if you feel good on a personal level, that is reflected in the work. This would not have been possible without her.
New York Stock Exchange opens
He’s sitting in a limousine in New York. The sound is pink, he slept five hours in two days on his way to open the New York Stock Exchange. He will then move to the Empire State Building to meet the media and then sit in the owner’s suite at Yankee Stadium. But before that, he’ll also throw first pitch when the New York Yankees play baseball against the Los Angeles Angels.
– These are too big. I don’t have a minute left after the end and I may not understand what happened yet. I can not take it. They are the Super Bowl, Tour de France, and Olympics. He says the biggest thing is you can win and you have succeeded in it.
– Now I’ll just have fun. At least until tomorrow.
Then shipping begins before the IndyCar competition in Detroit. A competition in which he took first place on the podium in 2019 and achieved his first victory in 2021.
– Now I’m refocusing. That’s the first thing I’ve always wanted to win, and now I have a great starting position to win the championship. This is the next goal, says Marcus Ericsson before he sets out to open trading on the American Stock Exchange in New York.