Marcus Ericsson suffers same fate as Andretti teammate Kyle Kirkwood to crash out of IndyCar Iowa race 2

Marcus Ericsson crashed out of Race 2 of the IndyCar double-header at the Iowa Speedway on Sunday, July 13. The Andretti Global driver had an issue with his right front tire, which was exactly what teammate Kyle Kirkwood suffered in Race 1 on Saturday.

On lap 127 of 275 in Race 2, the Farm to Finish 275, Ericsson's right front tire caved, causing him to go sideways into the outside barriers. The incident took place in Turn 4, in the lead-up to the pit lane.

You can take a look at the video below:

Marcus Ericsson felt frustrated after the crash. While speaking with FOX pitlane reporter Kevin Lee, the No. 28 Honda driver explained the cause of the crash, saying:

"The right front (failed), like the 27 (Kirkwood's car) yesterday. Unfortunate."

When Lee asked him what a driver can do in such a situation that is out of their control, Ericsson replied:

"The problem is you don't really feel anything. Just driving, and it happens. All you can do is brace and help the impact, (so) it's not too bad. Luckily, I got around the corner a little bit, so I wasn't too bad. It is not what you need right now, so it's very frustrating."

Third Andretti driver, Colton Herta, had a front right tire failure as well on lap 254 of 275. Kyle Kirkwood had the same issue with his right front in the second half of Race 1, causing him to crash into the barriers and ending his race.

However, for Marcus Ericsson, this crash will rub salt on his wounds in what is turning out to be an upsetting 2025 IndyCar season. The Swedish driver has recorded only one Top 10 finish this season - a P6 at the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He sits in an uncharacteristically low P20 in the standings (before Iowa Race 2).

Marcus Ericsson reveals constant handling issues on his Andretti Global car at Iowa

After his crash in IndyCar's Race 2, Marcus Ericsson revealed that he suffered handling issues on his No. 28 Andretti Global Honda all weekend long. Though that wasn't the direct cause of his crash, it played a role.

"I was struggling with the handling all days, really," Ericsson told reporter Bob Pockrass. "Yesterday, we were fine. Obviously, our teammate had his issue. So just unfortunate. Maybe not having a great day, but it is better than DNFing and crashing the car. So yeah, it's disappointing."

IndyCar and Firestone had encountered the right front tire issue on June 25, when the series tested its new package for the Iowa Speedway. One driver had a right front puncture in the test, which led Firestone to make stronger right fronts for Iowa.

Andretti Global was the only team to have front right tire failures during this Iowa double-header, highlighting a possible issue with the team's setups.