When Marcus Ericsson's heroics ended Sweden's 26-year wait for F1 points

Marcus Ericsson, the Andretti Autosport IndyCar driver, has tried his hand at various motorsports racing categories. He has even tested his skills against the heavy hitters of Formula 1, and back in 2015 on March 15, he created history by doing something special as a Swedish racing driver.

In the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, Marcus Ericsson became the first Swedish driver (after Stefan Johansson in 1989) to score points in the fiercely competitive sport. The former scored four points (P8 finish) for Sauber F1 and in the process, ended Sweden's 26-year points drought in F1.

Marcus Ericsson's last outing in the pinnacle of motorsport came at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. His record currently stands at 18 points from 97 race starts. Since leaving F1, Ericsson's focus has been on IndyCar.

He made his debut in the sport at the 2019 St. Petersburg Grand Prix and has so far managed four wins and 11 podium finishes. His last win in IndyCar came in the 2023 edition of the St. Petersburg race.

Marcus Ericsson associated with Cadillac's 2026 F1 entry

While Marcus Ericsson brought smiles to the faces of the Swedes back in 2015 with his F1 heroics, he is not yet fully done with the sport. In January, it was revealed that the 34-year-old will play a key role ahead of Cadillac's 2026 F1 entry.

In line with this, Ericsson had the following to add in January:

"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. It’s great that they want to use me and my experience to help." Ericsson said - Viaplay's F1 podcast.

The hype around the 2026 Cadillac F1 project is huge. In recent times, they have been in the headlines regularly regarding their potential choice of drivers to fill the two seats. Marcus Ericsson's Andretti teammate Colton Herta's name has popped up often with other names coming from F1 itself (current Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez).

Having competed in a decent 97 races, Ericsson's experience would prove beneficial to Cadillac in various ways. Other than his F1 Cadillac duties, Ericsson's on-track focus currently lies on the ongoing 2025 IndyCar season.

Following the end of the season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the 34-year-old finds himself in sixth place on the drivers' standings with 28 points. Round 2 will get-going from March 21 onwards with the Thermal Club Grand Prix of California.