Marcus Ericsson became a meme again, this time in IndyCar

Some called it “the greatest camera pan in the history of motorsports” when Marcus Ericsson was shown late during Sunday’s IndyCar race in Long Beach.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson was well-positioned for a second consecutive podium finish and a fifth place spot in the IndyCar championship standings following Sunday afternoon’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on the streets of Long Beach, California.

The driver of the #8 Honda was running in third place after a late restart around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile (3.167-kilometer) temporary street circuit.

But he hit the wall coming out of turn four with 19 laps to go, and that led to further contact with the #9 Honda of teammate Scott Dixon. As a result, Ericsson pulled off the track in turn five and did not continue.

What many didn’t know at the time is that he would be stranded there until the conclusion of the 85-lap race.

Following another restart several laps later, the camera showed a frustrated Ericsson standing alone beside his #8 Honda, arms crossed as he watched the action unfold without him.

As you can imagine, the move referred to by some as “the greatest camera pan in the history of motorsports” became an instant meme.

This isn’t the first time that Ericsson has found himself at the center of a crash for a comical reason other than the crash itself.

Back when he was still competing for Sauber in Formula 1, Ericsson was running behind the Haas of Romain Grosjean during the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit. Grosjean was warming his tires during a late safety car period when he lost control of his car and crashed.

That’s when the infamous “I think Ericsson hit us” line was said over the radio.

In reality, Ericsson had absolutely nothing to do with the crash, as no contact was made.

The most ironic part of Ericsson’s shunt on Sunday might very well be the fact that the driver running in fourth place right behind him was none other than Grosjean, a fellow Formula 1-turned-IndyCar driver.

Ironically, “I think Grosjean hit us” wouldn’t have been accurate, either.

The #28 Honda of the Andretti Autosport driver made no contact with the #8 Honda. Grosjean went on to pass Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou for second place, where he finished behind Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden to match a career-best result.