Marcus Ericsson joins Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar team

Marcus Ericsson joins Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the 2019 IndyCar Series season. The 28-year-old driver from Sweden, who recorded 95 starts in Formula 1 since 2014 and currently drives for Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, will drive the #7 Honda in his rookie season in the North American premier open-wheel competitions.

Ericsson’s move to IndyCar Series followed after he recently lost a seat in Sauber. As we wrote, Sauber hired Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi for the 2019 F1 season. However, Ericsson will stay connected with Sauber as a reserve driver.

Marcus Ericsson pictured few days ago in at Mexican Grand Prix

“It’s a great honor to be picked as one of the drivers at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and IndyCar for the 2019 season. 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 work hard to continue and improve on that path,” Marcus Ericsson said.

“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,” Ericsson added.

“Ric (Peterson) and I are excited to welcome Marcus to the team. 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. 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,” SPM co-owner Sam Schmidt said.

Ericsson’s teammate will be James Hinchcliffe, who enters his ninth IndyCar Series season overall and fifth with SPM in 2019. Hinchcliffe will continue to drive the #5 Arrow Electronics Honda. The #6 SPM Honda remains open for injured driver Robert Wickens.

Photos: IndyCar Series,