Motorsport News

SAUBER’ S ERICSSON SWITCHES TO INDY CAR WITH SCHMIDT PETERSON

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Sauber Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson will switch to Indycar in 2019, driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsport­s as fulltime team-mate to James Hinchcliff­e.

Ericsson has raced with Sauber for the past four seasons, and should have made 97 F1 starts when he competes in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this month. Sauber is making a complete line-up change for 2019, with 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen joined by Antonio Giovinazzi as Charles Leclerc moves to Ferrari and Ericsson is demoted to a reserve role.

The 28-year-old Swede quickly made clear that he wanted to combine that F1 link with a full season racing elsewhere and will now join the Indycar grid.

“It feels like a perfect step for me and my career after five years in F1,” said Ericsson.

“I can’t wait to start work with SPM and all the people in the team which I’ve heard a lot of good things about. They’ve had some great success over the years, and I’m looking forward to working hard to continue and improve on that path.”

Ericsson believes he can get up to speed quickly, but there will be added pressure due to the fact he is an F1 driver crossing over.

“Definitely there will be high expectatio­ns on me,” he said of his Indycar move.

“I would expect nothing else. I come from almost 100 races in F1, five years there. I’ve built up a big experience which I think will benefit me making this step.

“So I definitely feel that there will be high expectatio­ns, which is something that I think is right. And that comes with pressure as well, but that’s something that I’m used to.

“Being in F1 for five years, you always have that big pressure on your shoulders to deliver so that’s nothing new. I come over here expecting myself to be up there and getting to it quickly. But I also know it’s going to be requiring a lot of hard work from me because everything will be new.”

SPM fielded Hinchcliff­e and Robert Wickens as its full-time 2018 line-up until Wickens was seriously injured in a horrific crash at Pocono.

 ?? Photos: LAT ??
Photos: LAT
 ??  ?? F1 time has run out for Ericsson
F1 time has run out for Ericsson

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