Andretti Global driver, Marcus Ericsson, to start on the front row for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after last years’ “disappointing and frustrating” IndyCar season.
After only two Top 10 finishes last year, Ericsson started the 2026 season on the right foot, qualifying second in St. Pete. The Swedish driver missed out on pole by nearly two-hundredths of a second, with Scott McLaughlin taking the top spot.
The 35-year-old shared with the media after qualifying that he has “worked extremely hard over the winter to come back and be strong” after last season. After working on himself over the off-season, Ericsson led a strong weekend that turned into a front-row start.
When asked about his performance turnaround, Ericsson answered, “Yeah, great way to start. It’s no secret, last year was super disappointing and frustrating and not the way I want to be, or we want to be, so worked extremely hard over the winter to come back and be strong and be on the level we should be at. All weekend it’s been strong, but to go out in qualifying and do that through all the segments and put it on the front-row feels really, really good.“
Working on the tyres for St. Pete
With drivers getting used to Firestone’s redeveloped street tyres, the alternate red tyres seem to be preferred for tomorrow’s race on The Streets of St. Petersburg. When asked about how he feels about the softer tyres, Ericsson shared that he “only did short runs” on the tyre but hopes to learn more during the warm-up before the race.
“I only did short runs on the reds, so I don’t really know what they will do on the longer stints, so we’ll see on warm-up what they give us. But the 28 car has been really good every practice on all type of tyres.”
“Starting up front now, I’m excited we’re going to have a strong race from there, and then you’ve just got to handle the tires the best we can.”
Ericsson getting ready for the race ahead
Although the driver was happy with his front-row starting position, Ericsson has to work to keep it in the race. Nonetheless, he is confident he can win again in St. Pete, taking home his latest series win in the same venue in 2023.
When asked how he would prepare for the race, Ericsson shared, “You just do the homework, work hard overnight to prepare for tomorrow, and you just go out and deliver a good race. I’ve done it here before. Won here a couple years back. I know how to get it done.“
With the first points of the season on the line, Ericsson hopes to continue his good start after his qualifying performance in St. Pete.
“Yeah, this was a great way to start that off and put ourselves in a good spot for tomorrow.“
