Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Outgoing Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson will switch to the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports-Honda team in IndyCar next season, ending a five year stay in Grand Prix racing.
Having found himself without a drive at Sauber next season thanks to the surprise signing of Kimi Räikkönen and Ferrari junior Antonio Giovinazzi, Marcus Ericsson has made the bold decision to relocate his driving talents to the American IndyCar series for 2019, teaming up with the highly rated James Hinchcliffe at the wheel of the #7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team.
With the likeable Swede having limited opportunities to remain an active driver for 2019, aside from the already agreed Sauber reserve role, the 28-year-old has decided to seek opportunities in the United States as he looks to remain behind the wheel following what is effectively the end of his Formula One career.
"It's a great honour to be picked as one of the drivers at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and IndyCar for the 2019 season,” said Ericsson. “It feels like a perfect step for me and my career after five years in F1.
“I can't wait to start work with SPM and all the people in the team which I've heard a lot of good things about. They've had some great success over the years, and I'm looking forward to working hard to continue and improve on that path.
“The racing in IndyCar looks great and I feel really excited to be part of it in the future. It will be a lot to learn including new tracks, oval racing, etc. I know it won't be easy, but it's a challenge I'm very much looking forward to and I can't wait to get started.”
“The racing in IndyCar looks great and I feel really excited to be part of it in the future. It will be a lot to learn including new tracks, oval racing, etc. I know it won't be easy, but it's a challenge I'm very much looking forward to and I can't wait to get started.”
Despite an often difficult career in Formula One these last years, Ericsson has shown flashes of promise for both Caterham and Sauber since 2014, with the Swedish star showing particular pace in the last few Grand Prix following confirmation that he will no longer remain with the squad beyond the current season.
Thanks to the experience gained in Formula One, expectation will be high for Ericsson to perform at a high level immediately once he makes the move stateside, something that the team acknowledge will be a useful advantage as they look to build themselves into regular racing winning form in 2019:
"He has a ton of experience racing in the top levels of motorsports, so we believe that he will be able to contribute to our development program that began in earnest in 2018" said team co-owner Sam Schmidt of the driver announcement.
“While the circuits on the IndyCar schedule will be brand new to him, particularly the ovals, we have a lot of confidence and trust in his eagerness to learn along with his work ethic. We think he and James will be a good fit to push one another and fight for those wins.”
“While the circuits on the IndyCar schedule will be brand new to him, particularly the ovals, we have a lot of confidence and trust in his eagerness to learn along with his work ethic. We think he and James will be a good fit to push one another and fight for those wins.”
Ericsson will remain associated with Sauber thanks to his reserve driver and ambassadorial roles, however it is thought that IndyCar will be the main focus for Ericsson and his management team in 2019 and beyond.
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Do you think a move to IndyCar is a good one for Ericsson? Can the Sauber man perform at the front of the field in the series do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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Do you think a move to IndyCar is a good one for Ericsson? Can the Sauber man perform at the front of the field in the series do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
