IndyCar Indianapolis 500
Ericsson “can’t believe” he backed off on Indy 500 last-chance qualifying lap
Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson came within minutes of missing the cut for the Indianapolis 500 after making a horrendous error on his first run of the last-chance qualifier.
Charles Bradley
Edited: May 20, 2024, 12:18 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Former F1 racer Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, was on course to make the field when he backed off at the end of his third tour of the four-lap qualifying run.
After realizing his error, he got back up to speed but it was too late to set a representative speed.
That meant he had to sit in the pits, cooling his car, before a last-gasp final run which ended inside the final five minutes of the session – and sealed his 32nd position on the grid.
“It was tough for sure,” said Ericsson. “This was even harder than the last few years, especially after my mistake there on my first run when we were safely in – can’t believe I did that.
“Then I had to sit there and wait and think about that I had one shot to make the race. I had to hit that run; I knew the car was hot from the first run. We had to trim out, and the car has been really difficult to drive since my crash. It was a tough mental challenge.”
When asked by NBC Sports if anything had changed on the radio instructions to count him through the laps from the pitstand, Ericsson replied: “You live and learn right, but it was all on me.
“We’ve done the same all week, it feels like we’ve done 58 qualifying runs and it’s always been the same countdown. It’s on me, I messed that up and I shouldn’t be doing that with my experience.
“We’re going to change procedure on that for sure!”
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Photo by: Josh Tons / Motorsport Images
His fellow last-chance qualifier Graham Rahal was also relieved to make the field – after his second year of facing an anxious wait to see if his speed was sufficient to make the field.
“We went to bed last night scratching our heads,” said Rahal. “A lot of questions that need to be answer and still do.
“We changed some componentry that we expected to go better, and we went slower today again, which is the fourth day in a row of speed loss. Setup really hasn't changed, we can see it in the data, but unfortunately, we've got to identify what the component is.
“We put on our road course gearbox, which I can guarantee nobody else is running. We just threw on some random uprights, and we tried to make it work, but we lost speed again.”
When asked if he was getting accustomed to the anxiety of potentially being bumped again, he replied: “It never feels calm. It never feels good.
“The way the rules are written for the LCQ, it's not favorable it on those on the bump. You can't move.
“If you pull out of line, you pull your time, you're not allowed to make the adjustments on the car that you would like to proactively.
“You've got to wait to see and then pull and go again.”
Read Also:
IndyCarIndy 500: McLaughlin sets new pole record at 234.220mph in Penske sweep
IndyCarIndy 500 qualifying: Siegel bumped from field, then wrecks
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Indy 500: McLaughlin sets new pole record at 234.220mph in Penske sweep
Next article Will Power: Racing gods don’t want me to have Indy 500 pole
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Charles Bradley
Mika Hakkinen on his darkest day in F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mika Hakkinen on his darkest day in F1
Dillon: Spotter was “wrong” to shout “wreck him!” before Hamlin clash
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
Dillon: Spotter was “wrong” to shout “wreck him!” before Hamlin clash
Hamlin: NASCAR stripping Dillon of win would be “warranted”
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
Hamlin: NASCAR stripping Dillon of win would be “warranted”
More from
Graham Rahal
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal spars with politicians over Freedom 250 criticism
IndyCar
IndyCar
Washington, D.C.
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal spars with politicians over Freedom 250 criticism
Louis Foster drove “with a bit of rage” in Fast Six en route to Markham IndyCar pole
IndyCar
IndyCar
Markham
Louis Foster drove “with a bit of rage” in Fast Six en route to Markham IndyCar pole
Winners and losers from the IndyCar race in Portland
IndyCar
IndyCar
Portland
Winners and losers from the IndyCar race in Portland
More from
Andretti Autosport
Kyle Kirkwood seals career-best IndyCar season with Laguna Seca runner-up
IndyCar
IndyCar
Laguna Seca
Kyle Kirkwood seals career-best IndyCar season with Laguna Seca runner-up
Will Power crashes hard in second IndyCar Markham practice
IndyCar
IndyCar
Markham
Will Power crashes hard in second IndyCar Markham practice
Marcus Ericsson will remain with Andretti for 2027 IndyCar season
IndyCar
IndyCar
Portland
Marcus Ericsson will remain with Andretti for 2027 IndyCar season
Latest news
M-Sport’s 2027 WRC Fiesta Kit car breaks cover
WRC
WRC WRC 13 min
M-Sport’s 2027 WRC Fiesta Kit car breaks cover
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Pedro Acosta proposes new idea for monitoring tyre pressure in MotoGP
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP 1 h
Pedro Acosta proposes new idea for monitoring tyre pressure in MotoGP
Feature
Discover prime content
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe