Marcus Ericsson might not be the name that comes to mind when it comes to the best Indy 500 drivers of the decade, but there's a legitimate case for him to be right up there.
The 2022 winner nearly became the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2022 to win the race in back-to-back years; it took an unconventional and somewhat controversial last-lap restart, with no full caution lap after the red flag was lifted, to drop him from the lead to second place in 2023.
In 2024, he never got a proper chance to make a charge from the back, as he was taken out in a turn one, lap one multi-car crash caused by a rookie driver who was subsequently released by his team after the race.
Then in 2025, he drove from the back twice, made the most of a slightly different fuel strategy, finished second after being passed for the lead with 14 laps to go, and was ultimately scored 31st as a result of a post-race penalty.
If you were counting, that's three years of serious contention in three years getting past the first turn.
"It’s a good place to be good at, right?" Ericsson, a four-time IndyCar race winner, quipped to FanSided's Beyond the Flag. "It’s always suited me and I’ve been very good at that place over the years, and that gives me a lot of confidence for sure."
With Andretti Global having taken a step forward through the first six races of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season, Ericsson enters this year's Indy 500 practice and qualifying week with added confidence.
"I know what car I need to have to be successful there," he continued. "I know how to work through the month. It’s a long month, so it’s about taking the right steps throughout the month of May, which is very important. It’s all those things that make a difference.
"I’m very excited about it. It was obviously tough last year. First of all, finishing second, being so close to winning it again, and then what happened afterwards as well. I’m looking to bounce back from that, and I think the team has been pushing really hard to be even stronger this year. That makes me super excited as well."
The 2025 runner-up finish was hard to swallow for Ericsson. However, it would have been even harder to swallow had he won it and then been stripped of the victory.
"I haven’t really thought about it that way," he admitted. "That’s the race you want to win. So in a way, it’s a bit of all or nothing, but still, it would have been nice to have second place, even though it’s not a win."
Palou's move for the win effectively saved IndyCar and the greatest race in the world from a controversy even greater than that which transpired in 2023.
"It would have been [a nightmare], yeah – probably not ideal," Palou told Beyond the Flag. "I spoke to Marcus. We had, in my opinion, a great battle, although it was not a pure battle of like back and forth, there was a battle of getting runs and getting the right timing, so yeah, it was fun. ... I'm glad that I won obviously, and that we don't have to imagine a different scenario, because yeah, it would not have been ideal."
Now Ericsson is aiming to beat Palou to two-time Indy 500 winner status.
"It’s all history now," said the 35-year-old Swede. "I won it once, and I know exactly how it feels to win that race, and how much that means. That keeps me motivated day in and day out. Every day I think about that and how I can do that again. It’s really driving me in my everyday life."
Since he won it four years ago, after fending off a hungry Pato O'Ward on the final lap following a far less controversial red flag, Ericsson has replayed the triumph in his mind on multiple occasions.
"For sure," he said. "And it’s something that you can use as motivation, and if you’re having a bad day, you can always go back and watch that! And obviously before the 500 every year, I study a lot of videos and stuff. That's always something that’s good to come back to.
"It was always obviously a dream to win an Indy 500. It’s the biggest race in the world, but I always say that the tough thing with winning it is that you realize how cool it is to win that race and how much that means. So it makes you almost want it more again, you know? It’s given me even more hunger to try to win it again. It’s something that drives me every day and I’ll do everything to try to get back in victory lane at the Speedway."
Every year, it is said that somebody's life is going to change with an Indy 500 win. Ericsson has certainly seen his change since that moment on Sunday, May 29, 2022.
"First of all, you’re going to be able to call yourself a 500 champion forever, which I think is a life-changing thing, just that," he noted. "But also in the racing world, there’s a lot of respect for being a 500 champion. That’s a big thing, but I think also for yourself and your confidence, and all the work you put into your career, you sacrifice a lot throughout your life to dedicate yourself to this sport and have a victory like that.
"It just does a lot for your career, and even more so when you’re going to look back at your career. So that means a lot, but again, I want to win more. I want to win more 500s. That’s my goal, that’s what I’m working towards."
Ericsson arrived in IndyCar in 2019 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports after a five-year stint in Formula 1, including his final four seasons with Sauber. Now in his eighth season in America, he admits that he had always been an IndyCar fan, even during his years competing overseas.
"I always had my eyes on [IndyCar]," he said. "Growing up in Europe, I was always on the ladder to Formula 1, and that was the biggest focus. But at the same time, when I was growing up, I was watching Kenny Brack racing in the States, and he was a big star in Sweden, very successful here, and obviously won the Indy 500 in 1999. So I always had an eye on IndyCar because of that.
"That was why the day I sort of got to know I was not going to be renewed for my contract in Formula 1, the first thing I said to my management was, ‘I want to go to IndyCar.’ That’s my dream, to race a 500 and race in IndyCar. It was very quick for me to try to achieve that and I’m very happy I did, because it's been fantastic. I can’t believe it’s now my eighth season. It's crazy to think about that. But yeah, I really have loved my time here in IndyCar and hope to be here for many, many more years.
He won the Formula BMW UK championship in 2007 and the Japanese Formula 3 championship in 2009. He was elevated to Formula 1 with Caterham after running four seasons in GP2.
When it became clear in 2018 that his contract would not be renewed by Sauber, Ericsson had options other than IndyCar; it was clear that his racing career was in line to continue. But IndyCar was option number one, and he is still making the most of it.
"I had different options," he said. "There were some sports car opportunities and Formula E, which a lot of ex-F1 drivers were going those routes, but yeah, for me, it was very clear I wanted to go to IndyCar. That was always in my mind that if I wasn’t going to do F1, I wanted to go to IndyCar. I was still, at that point, I was 27, 28 years old, so sort of still early in my career, and yeah, it’s worked out pretty well!"
Indy 500 practice is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 12, and qualifying is scheduled to take place Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17. The race itself is set to be shown live on Fox from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 24. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action from Fox and other Fox Sports channels throughout the month of May!
Add us as a preferred source on Google