Marcus Ericsson claimed a momentous win in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, holding off a charging Pato O’Ward on the final lap.
With only two laps to run after the late red flag period, Ericsson knew that he would have to fight hard to maintain his position for the final five miles of the race.
The skill the Swede displayed in keeping the lead was borderline aggressive, but it got the job done and earned him the biggest win of his career.
Talking after the race, Ericsson described that he had discussions with veteran members of his team about exactly the situation he found himself in.
“I knew Pato [O’Ward] was going to have a run on me because up front we’ve seen all month it’s really hard to defend when you’re up front,” explained Ericsson.
“I was actually sitting during dinner here at the Speedway on infield last night talking with Dario [Franchitti] about this type of scenario: if I’m leading when it’s towards the end of the race the last couple laps, what to do, how to break the tow of the car behind, how to place the car.
“We had that very conversation last night. That was in my mind when I was sitting there during that red flag. I just tried to go out and execute that plan I had made in my head.
“Dario was saying, ‘You need to think ahead, not think about what’s happening right here, think ahead one lap, one straight ahead, where you’re going to position the car, where you want to be, what you want to do.’
“We had a good chat about it. He was funny, he was like, ‘If you’re in a scenario that you’re leading, there’s only a couple laps to go, you need to do and this, put the car there.’
“I was playing that in my head. And that’s exactly how it worked out today. He’s been a great asset all my years at Ganassi. I’m happy for that.”
Ericsson also mentioned how open the rest of his team-mates have been since joining CGR, and credits all the knowledge that’s been shared with him that has led him to this point.
Dario Franchitti raced in the IndyCar Series from 2002 until 2013, winning three Indy 500’s in that time, and has been providing consulting to the Chip Ganassi Racing team recently.
It seems his advice for Ericsson this year was spot on, and was instrumental in keeping Pato O’Ward in his rear view mirrors.
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