Marcus Ericsson had an abundantly regular Grand Prix of Portland, and he’d welcome extra of the identical to shut his first season with Andretti World.
The Swede arrived from Chip Ganassi Racing to interchange Romain Grosjean within the No. 28 Honda with excessive expectations after incomes three sixth-place championship finishes and 4 race wins, together with an Indianapolis 500 victory, together with his former group.
However adversity struck at this 12 months’s first race at St. Petersburg with an engine difficulty whereas he was working within the prime 5, and the cartoon anvils continued to search out his automobile at almost half the races that adopted. There have been just a few vivid spots, like ending fifth at Lengthy Seashore, second at Detroit and fifth once more at Mid-Ohio, however disappointment has been the underlying tone for Ericsson.
Within the few races which can be left, he’s hoping for a repeat of Portland, the place he ran in direction of the entrance and got here dwelling sixth with zero dramas throughout the 110-lap contest.
“It was a clear weekend, and that was precisely what we would have liked,” Ericsson advised RACER. “It was good. No fireworks, however I didn’t need fireworks. I needed a clear weekend. I feel 4 occasions this 12 months we’ve been taken out of a race the place it ought to have been good outcomes. We’ve two DNFs from mechanical stuff in St. Pete and Gateway once we have been working within the prime 5, and simply numerous issues like that. We’ve misplaced a minimum of 100 factors this 12 months due to this stuff.
“Everybody has their issues throughout a 12 months, however I feel we’ve positively been a prime 10 contender; it’s simply been numerous **** occurring. I don’t need to name it dangerous luck, as a result of I don’t imagine in dangerous luck, however we haven’t had a lot good luck. So it’s been a kind of years, however I feel that’s why our weekend in Portland was vital for everybody. It was what we would have liked to have a reset, and what we deserved as effectively.”
Ericsson and his race engineer Olivier Boisson have additionally been making strides of their first season working collectively.
“Oliver has actually been nice and we’re beginning to click on right here the previous few weekends,” Ericsson mentioned. “If you happen to take a look at Toronto, Gateway, and this weekend, we’ve been proper within the combine all three of these weekends. At Portland, we have been lower than a tenth from being within the Quick Six, after which we had a really strong race, so I’m blissful about that. However we would like extra, after all, if we are able to get it.”
Presently 14th within the drivers’ championship, first rate outings at this weekend’s Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader and the Nashville Superspeedway season finale might see Ericsson be a part of teammates Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood inside the highest 10.
“I checked out that as effectively, and it’s super-tight there with numerous guys there from ninth to 14th, and even a few ones behind me as effectively,” he mentioned. “We’re, like, 18 factors out from being tenth, and if we are able to get there and do a prime 10 within the championship, I feel that might be fairly spectacular with the 12 months we’ve had. In order that’s positively the objective.
“However even when we don’t, I simply need to have a few good outcomes right here to complete off the season. That’s the principle factor, to construct off of Portland and have two good weekends to complete up the 12 months, as a result of that may convey us some good momentum into the low season that we are able to then construct on for 2025. We’ve been aggressive on each kind of monitor and each weekend, and once we come there subsequent 12 months for a second time, me and Olivier, and we now have all of the notes and all of the expertise from this 12 months, it’s simply going to start out on a very completely different degree. I’m very excited for subsequent 12 months.”
