Charles Leclerc's former teammate signed by Cadillac as preparations for the American brand's 2026 F1 entry begin

Charles Leclerc's former teammate Marcus Ericsson has joined Cadillac to help the team prepare for its entry into Formula 1. The American team has an agreement in principle with the FIA to join the grid in the 2026 season, and while it has not been confirmed who will be driving for the team, Ericsson has been brought on to support the venture's start.

Ericsson has been out of the Formula 1 world since 2018, when he finished his five-season stint in the sport with Sauber. He joined Sauber in 2015, driving alongisde Felipe Nasr, and was joined by current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in 2018, which was also the Monegasque's rookie year.

Post-2018, Ericsson made the move to IndyCar where he drove for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2019, and then joined Chip Ganassi Racing for the following four seasons. During his time with North Carolina-based team, he has scored four wins and 11 podiums, including a win at the 2022 Indianapolis 500. In 2024, he joined Andretti Global, which became a pathway to working with Cadillac F1. The F1 entry for Cadillac has been a link-up between General Motors and Andretti Global, though its branding and influence have been removed to make Cadillac's entrance easier.

About his role with Cadillac, Ericsson said (via The Mirror):

"My employer, Andretti, has asked me to fly to England to test different simulators. I will provide feedback so they can choose the right model for the whole organisation, including Formula 1, IndyCar, and sports cars. Simulators have become an integral part of motorsport and I've been working on improving my own use over the winter."

In the year that Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc raced as teammates, the former scored nine points over the course of the season, and the latter scored 39 points. While Ericsson finished 17th and Leclerc finished 13th, their combined efforts scored Sauber an eighth place finish in the constructors' standings.

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Charles Leclerc talked about Marcus Ericsson during their time in Sauber

Marcus Ericsson (9) and Charles Leclerc (16) on track during practice for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix - Source: Getty

During the initial part of their season together, Charles Leclerc talked about how he felt about his teammate, Marcus Ericsson who was more experienced in the sport. The Monegasque driver had good things to say about the Swede in April 2018 (via Autosport):

"He's a very good driver. He has a bad reputation but I don't think he deserves it at all."

Ericsson shared his honest thoughts about his new teammate, saying:

"Charles is the strongest team-mate I've ever had. He's very, very fast, but I feel I've stepped it up a lot as well."

Ericsson hadn't scored any points in the preceding two seasons with Sauber. During their only season together, Leclerc had ten points finishes to his teammate's nine.