Marcus Ericsson leans into “bounce-back” mindset, searches for feel and confidence ahead of 2026 IndyCar season

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Staff report

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — January 28, 2026

Marcus Ericsson walked into NTT INDYCAR SERIES Content Days on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, sounding like a driver who’s spent the winter taking inventory — of his performance, his mindset, and the small details that add up when the margins are razor-thin.

Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner, begins his eighth full season in the series back in the No. 28 Andretti Global Honda. Ericsson And after a season he described as difficult to fully reset from, the Swede said the goal is straightforward: get back to the level he believes he’s already shown.

“It’s a bounce-back year for me,” Ericsson said, describing an offseason built around hard work and a fresh approach.

What it feels like to drive on the edge

Asked about where he feels most in his element behind the wheel, Ericsson pointed to street circuits — a type of racing he described in visceral terms: close walls, no margin for error, and the kind of intensity that demands full commitment.

Street courses are a challenge he “really enjoy(s),” he said, because “there is no margin for error and the walls are close.” Ericsson It’s a description that matches the way IndyCar can feel at its sharpest: the car alive in your hands, the consequence immediate, and confidence measured corner-by-corner.

That same theme — the search for trust in the car — came up repeatedly as Ericsson talked about what he needs from Andretti Global in 2026.

His focus, he said, is to “have a car underneath me that I can trust every weekend and know what it’s doing,” a prerequisite for delivering consistent results.

Looking inward after last season

Ericsson didn’t point to one single failure or turning point. Instead, he described last year as the kind of season where small issues compounded — especially after May.

He said he fell into what he called a negative spiral after the month of May and struggled to break free, a stretch he believes affected his results down the line.

This winter, Ericsson said he has been “self-reflecting” — asking what he can do better, how he can perform better, and how he can work better with the team to get the balance he needs.

He emphasized that, in IndyCar, the truth is often measured in tenths — and the penalty for missing by a little is enormous.

“You miss out a little bit on the balance of the car or tires or whatever … a couple of tenths off and suddenly starting 17th instead of … the top eight,” Ericsson said.

Offseason work: getting uncomfortable on purpose

With limited IndyCar testing, Ericsson said he tried to “think a bit outside the box” and deliberately step outside his comfort zone. Ericsson That meant racing GT3 machinery — a category he said he had never driven before — as a way to learn how he adapts and what habits translate across disciplines.

The takeaway wasn’t just seat time. It was technique — and feel.

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Driving GT cars, Ericsson said, forced him to think about braking efficiency and how to use a car’s weight to his advantage rather than “fighting against it.” Ericsson Those lessons, he said, can carry back into IndyCar, including car placement and how the vehicle behaves under load.

Mental training as a competitive tool

Ericsson also leaned heavily on the mental side — an area he said is still underestimated in motorsports — especially after a tough season.

He said he’s working with a coach in Sweden and has tried “new things” this winter — different techniques aimed at building mental strength and creating tools to avoid slipping back into the kind of negative stretch he described from last year.

Pressure, contracts, and the Indy 500 mindset

When the topic turned to contract-year pressure, Ericsson didn’t romanticize it. Results are what matter, he said, not talk.

But he did acknowledge something that’s been a hallmark of his IndyCar résumé: he believes pressure can sharpen him — and he pointed to the Indianapolis 500 as the ultimate example.

He said he’s often performed his best when the stakes are highest, calling the 500 the most high-pressure race of the year.

Fast start required in a compressed early schedule

Ericsson said the schedule’s early intensity raises the cost of a slow start. With a busy run of races packed close together, he said being ready at the season opener matters more than ever — because there may not be time to “find” form once the calendar accelerates.

“If you’re not there for race one, you’re going to struggle … it’s going to be uphill very fast,” Ericsson said, emphasizing the importance of preseason testing and arriving at St. Petersburg ready to execute.

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