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Chip Ganassi driver and Charles Leclerc's former F1 teammate Marcus Ericsson has impressed everyone with his rise in the 2023 season as he hopes to win the IndyCar championship for the first time in his career.
Ericsson was having a tough time in the series but in 2022 showcased his mettle by winning the iconic Indy 500 race. Interestingly, he did produce some eye-catching results during his time in F1 as well from 2014 to 2018, especially in Bahrain 2018, where he finished ninth.
He made his debut in the sport with Caterham Racing in 2014 but could not score any points as the team languished at the back.
The Swede made the switch to Sauber in 2015 and scored points in the first race for the team. However, he was unable to score any points in the next two seasons before scoring a total of nine points in 2018 while racing alongside Charles Leclerc.
"He is a cool head and I think he’s gonna thrive [under pressure]" - Marcus Ericsson on Charles Leclerc
The Chip Ganassi driver stated that Charles Leclerc's talent was visible in 2018 itself and also pointed out the Ferrari driver's biggest strengths as a driver.
While appearing on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, he said:
“I think, already in 2018 when he came into Formula 1, you could tell straight away that he’s an extremely fast race car driver. I think there’s no doubt about that. I think everyone can see that. But also the way he works, his work ethic, you could tell that straight away. He was so determined to do well and to learn, to speak to me, and he asked me a lot of questions. I had quite a bit of experience at that point. But he was super fast, straight away, in the car. He’s his own worst critic, he is self-critical when he makes mistakes and owns up to them and learns from them.
“I think that’s one of the biggest strengths of Charles Leclerc, that he does mistakes sometimes and learns from them, moves on from them, and becomes stronger. He is a cool head and I think he’s gonna thrive [under pressure]. I think he’s gonna do really well with it. From what I saw from being beside him, the more pressure [that] was on him, the better he performed – he was that kind of guy."
It will be interesting to see if Charles Leclerc can guide the Italian team to a title anytime in the future.
