Ericsson’s Indy 500 Heartbreak: ‘Kept Me Up’

Marcus Ericsson, a former winner of the Indianapolis 500, is grappling with a “painful” defeat at this year’s event. Losing to Alex Palou, Ericsson candidly admitted the race outcome will “keep me up at night for a while.” This marks another close call for the Swedish driver at the iconic race, following a similar heartbreak in 2023.

A String of Unfortunate Indy 500 Outcomes

Since his triumphant victory in 2022, luck has seemed to evade Marcus Ericsson at the Indy 500.

The 2023 Near Miss

In 2023, Ericsson came agonizingly close to securing back-to-back wins. However, a specific rule change, aimed at ensuring races finish under green-flag conditions, altered the outcome. A late caution period, which might have previously ended the race under yellow, instead led to a dramatic one-lap shootout. In that frantic sprint, Josef Newgarden managed to pass Ericsson, denying him the victory. This rule change was a significant factor in his defeat.

The Challenging 2024 Season

The 2024 season saw Ericsson make a significant team switch, moving from Chip Ganassi Racing to Andretti. This proved to be a disappointing first season with his new team, including a particularly challenging Indy 500. A practice crash prior to the race forced him to start from the very back of the field. His race then ended prematurely due to an early collision, marking a difficult outing at the most important event of the year.

Improving Form in 2025

Despite a rocky start to his tenure at Andretti, Ericsson’s form has shown clear signs of improvement this year. However, in terms of results, he has still consistently been the third-best among Andretti’s three full-time drivers heading into this year’s Indy 500. This context adds to the weight of his recent second-place finish.

The Defining Moment: Losing to Palou

The final laps of Sunday’s Indy 500 saw a pivotal moment that will haunt Ericsson.

The Dirty Air Challenge

Marcus Ericsson is widely known for his cheerful demeanor in the paddock. However, after losing the lead to Alex Palou with just 14 laps remaining in Sunday’s race, the pain was evident on his face, even as he managed a smile. Ericsson explained the critical juncture. He referenced the presence of lap cars ahead, specifically Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster, who were battling fiercely to stay on the lead lap. He found himself “struggling a little bit in the dirty air” created by these cars.

The Door That Opened

Ericsson recounted the decisive move by Palou. “Alex got kind of a run on me,” he explained, noting his internal debate at that split second. “I thought he wasn’t going to go for it.” This hesitation proved costly. He conceded that “that’s the thing that’s going to keep me up at night for a while, that moment and what I did and didn’t do.”

Palou, as the third car in line, executed a decisive pass. Ericsson, being the fourth car, found it extremely difficult to retaliate deep within a train of cars without a stroke of fortuitous opportunism. He admitted to “sort of open[ing] the door” for Palou’s move.

The Weight of Indianapolis: Second Place Isn’t a Win

For a former winner, a second-place finish at the Indy 500 carries a unique kind of disappointment.

The Life-Changing Victory of 2022

Ericsson’s 2022 Indy 500 victory was undeniably life-changing. This is often the case for any winner of the prestigious event. After years in Formula 1 where his abilities were sometimes questioned or undervalued, he moved to IndyCar. There, he immediately delivered strong performances for Ganassi, culminating in that iconic 2022 win. That triumph cemented his reputation and proved his capabilities on a grand stage.

The Pain of “Almost”

“Right now I’m just disappointed,” Ericsson stated after Sunday’s race. He emphasized the immense personal significance of the event, reiterating, “This race means everything to me. I know how much it means to win this race. So to finish second again, it’s pretty painful.” His close call in 2023 and now 2025 underscore the unique heartbreak of coming so close but not quite reaching the top step of the podium at this particular race.

The Missed Opportunity with Lap Cars

Earlier in the race, four laps before Palou made his decisive move, Ericsson had a tantalizing “half-chance” to pass one of the battling lap cars, DeFrancesco. Had he succeeded, it “would have put a buffer between me and Alex.” He replays these moments in his head, reflecting on what he “could have done differently.”

Despite the challenging circumstances with the lap cars, he acknowledged having “the best seat in the house there to lead the last 15 laps.” This self-reflection highlights his deep desire to win and the internal struggle with the “what ifs.”

Balancing the Disappointment with Positives

While the immediate sting of defeat is strong, there are broader positives for Ericsson and his team from this Indy 500 performance.

Championship Standing and Team Progress

In the context of an “up-and-down start to the year,” this second-place finish at the Indy 500 has significant positive implications for Ericsson’s championship standing. He has now moved into the top 10 in the championship. He is also just two points behind his teammate, Colton Herta. The IndyCar series now heads to a street track, a format that typically favors Andretti’s cars.

This provides an immediate opportunity to capitalize on the momentum. However, Ericsson himself is not yet ready to shift his focus to Detroit.

A Testament to Team Fightback

Despite the bitter taste of second place, Ericsson recognized the significant positives from the race itself. He expressed immense pride in his team, stating, “I’m really proud of the team, we’ve really had a good month, a good solid month, good qualifying weekend.” He described the race as “a bit strange,” starting strong but then experiencing an “oversteer-y” car and a “bad pitstop” that dropped him to the very back of the lead lap.

“At one point we were last in the lead lap,” he recalled. This seemingly disastrous situation highlighted the resilience of his #28 crew. “That’s the cool thing with us… we keep fighting. We keep never giving up,” he affirmed. He had “some really good stints” in the second half that brought him back into contention, aided by a “really good” final pitstop and strategy call.

This fightback to a second-place finish, especially in a grueling 200-lap race where a third of the 33-car field failed to finish, is a testament to the team’s relentless spirit.

The Inevitability of Palou

Ultimately, the feeling of finishing second at the Indy 500, especially as a former winner, is uniquely frustrating. All the positives tend to fade in the shadow of not winning. However, considering his challenging run at Andretti so far and the disastrous Indy 500 last year, this result for Ericsson holds significant promise for the future.

And, as the article concludes, being beaten by Alex Palou in 2025 “just feels like inevitability at this point,” acknowledging Palou’s dominant form.