Marcus Ericsson says his “tough” spell in Formula 1 acts as further motivation for his switch into the IndyCar Series for 2019.
The Swede recently announced a deal with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to drive the #7 car for a full 2019 IndyCar campaign.
He will also retain a Formula 1 link by acting as Sauber's reserve driver, supporting Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi.
Ericsson stepped up to Formula 1 with the ailing Caterham squad in 2014 and switched to Sauber the following campaign, staying with the Swiss outfit through the lowest ebb in the team's history.
When asked how he would look back on his time in F1, he said: "It’s been amazing, I’ve really enjoyed it, but it’s also been tough.
"Most of the time I’ve been running in back of the grid teams and cars, and that’s always tough especially when you’re going up through junior ranks, and you always fight for wins and podiums.
"You always go with that mindset to a race weekend, and then the last five years, that’s never been realistic. That’s been a tough part of it.
"That’s why also I’m so excited about next year, that I can actually be back racing for wins again. I’ve gained a lot of experience and a lot of good memories from these five years for sure.
"I’ll go to America fully committed to do a great job over there. I see myself being there for quite some time, but then in the future, you never know what will happen.
"I’m just super excited to go there. I met the team, and thought it was really, really good. The car from the outside looks a lot of fun. I can’t wait to get started."
This season has been the most profitable of Ericsson’s five years in Formula 1, having taken points in six Grands Prix to match his 2015 tally of nine.
