Marcus Ericsson aims to carry P1 finish at practice momentum into qualifying at Barber track

Marcus Ericsson is one of the 27 drivers who have arrived at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, for the fourth round of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series Championship. The Andretti Global driver led the Friday practice session and intends to carry the momentum into the race.

The Swedish driver topped the timesheets in the opening session with a lap of 1:07.7470. While the championship leader, Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing), clocked 1:07.7602 to go second fastest, Colton Herta (Andretti Global) rounded out the top three with 1:07.7728.

Encouraged by the early results, Marcus Ericsson enters the remainder of the race weekend with renewed confidence, aiming to build on the momentum established during the opening day. On Friday, May 2nd, he posted a picture carousel of the first day, sharing his practice results with his 275k followers on Instagram. Further, he also stated that regardless of the weather conditions in the qualifying scheduled for May 3rd (Saturday), he is ready to take on the weekend.

"P1 in Bama 💯. Only practice, but a good way to start the weekend! Bring on qualifying tomorrow, rain or sun, no matter what, we will be ready 💪🏻 #ME28 #INDYCAR," Ericsson captioned the post.

The Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is scheduled for Sunday, May 4th.

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Marcus Erricson reveals his choice for an alternate career path

NTT IndyCar Series GMR Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Marcus Ericsson recently shared what career he might have pursued if he weren’t a professional race car driver. The former Indy 500 champion said he would have likely become an ice hockey player, citing his Swedish heritage as a major influence on that choice.

Sweden's national ice hockey team is one of the strongest teams in the world. It belongs to the "Big Six," an unofficial group that includes the top-tier men's ice hockey nations: Canada, the United States, Russia, Finland, and the Czech Republic. The impact of the team on the nation is significant, which is why Ericsson picked the sport as the choice next to racing.

Daniel Mac, a social media content creator with 2.8 million followers on Instagram, asked Marcus Ericsson the question about his alternate career path.

"What do you do for a living if you weren't a driver?"

Ericsson picked his homeland's favorite sport, saying:

"I would play ice hockey."

Mac further enquired what Ericsson's dream car was, for which the 34-year-old picked a machine from a brand of his homeland - a Volvo 740.

"I do. Yeah. A Volvo 740. Sweden bro!" he replied.

Marcus Ericsson is a former Indy 500 winner and is currently 12th in the IndyCar championship with 55 points.