Marcus Ericsson was one of the most consistent drivers in the second half of the 2021 IndyCar season, and he is looking to use that as a launching point for 2022.
Ericsson’s third year in the series saw him win his first race in Detroit, and ended with him securing sixth in the championship, his best points result to date.
In the ten-race stretch that followed the Indianapolis 500, he won the first and second races of his IndyCar career, and logged top ten finishes in nine of those races.
Asked in a preseason press conference if he feels that his performance in the latter half of last season has brought confidence heading into 2022, the Swede confirmed that the consistency and progress he’s made has given him a good feeling.
“Yeah, I do,” said Ericsson. “I think I’ve had some steady progress in my three years in the series.
“Last year was definitely kind of a breakthrough for me getting that first win out of the way, having a super strong season, a consistent season with a lot of top 10s, actually running in the top five for most of it there in the second half.
“It’s been a good off-season. We’ve been analyzing it, trying to understand how to improve and be even stronger for this season. I’m really liking where we are at the moment going into this new season.
“I think the consistency is a key in IndyCar. That was the reason why I was running for a championship there deep into the season last year. I aim to continue that.
“Instead of a lot of seventh or eighth finishes, [I’m] trying to change that to top fives. That’s how we’re going to be able to challenge really for the championship. Keep that consistency, but try and improve top 10s to top fives.”
The first race of the 2022 IndyCar season is just over three weeks away on the St. Petersburg street course, which has netted Ericsson two seventh-place finishes in the past two years.
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