"That still hurts" - Marcus Ericsson hung up on controversial Indy 500 loss to Josef Newgarden

Marcus Ericsson has opened up on the unhealed emotional wound he sustained after losing the 2023 Indy 500 to Josef Newgarden in the final lap. What could've been the Swedish driver's second consecutive win at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" was hampered by a controversial decision by the race officials.

In the last 16 laps of the 200 laps race, the race was red flagged three times after crashes. The final red flag was called in the closing stages of the race after a crash forced three laps under caution. Ericsson was the race leader. To his and everybody's surprise, IndyCar chose not to end the race under caution. Instead, the race was restarted with only one lap to go.

Newgarden, who was running in second place, got a "monster run" out of turn 2, as the commentator described it, to snatch the race lead from Ericsson. The Team Penske driver won the Indy 500 in his 12th attempt, denying his Chip Ganassi Racing rival the unique feat of potentially becoming the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2001-02 to win it consecutively.

Marcus Ericsson recently spoke about that heartbreak on the Pit Pass Indy podcast when asked if he's planning to upset two-time defending winner Newgarden at the 109th Indy 500 on May 25 this year.

"Oh yeah, for sure. I was so close to going back-to-back there in '23, so that still hurts. Last year (2024) was a rollercoaster, a very big rollercoaster for us with my crash and the bump day drama... taken out in Turn 1 of the race. It's not the month of May we wanted, but it was something that got us gelling together as a group a lot. So hopefully, that will make us strong for this year because this is the big race. This is our Super Bowl," Marcus Ericsson said. [25:30]

Ericsson didn't get a chance to avenge his 2023 loss to Newgarden in 2024. A lap 1 crash with Tom Blomqvist ended his race. The Swede's first year with Andretti Global was similarly underwhelming. The ex-F1 driver finished 15th in the standings, his lowest finish since 17th position in his rookie year in 2019.

---

Marcus Ericsson wasn't happy with IndyCar's 'unfair' decision at the 2023 Indy 500

NTT IndyCar Series GMR Grand Prix - Test - Day 1 - Source: Getty

After securing second place at the 2023 Indy 500, Marcus Ericsson didn't shy away from voicing his critical stance on IndyCar's decision to give the green light for a one-lap sprint to decide the winner. He highlighted the potentially dangerous implications that it could've had.

"I don't think it's safe to go out of the pits on cold tires for a restart when half the field is sort of still trying to get out on track when we go green. I don't think it's a fair way to end the race. I don't think it's the right way to end the race," Marcus Ericsson said via Indy Star in the post-race press conference.

In Andretti Global's current line-up, Marcus Ericsson is the only Indy 500 winner. However, both his teammates Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta clearly outperformed him in 2024. Kirkwood finished in a career-best seventh position and Herta also achieved a career-best with a second-place finish in the standings. The 109th Indy 500 this year will be Ericsson's seventh appearance at the event.