The unveiling today of Marcus Ericsson’s silver visage on the legendary Borg-Warner Trophy was the final gleaming proof that this quiet man from Kumla, Sweden, has fixed his place in IndyCar and Indianapolis 500 history. The years of frustration driving tail-end Formula 1 cars to midfield finishes – mixed with occasional spasms of excitement at (gasp!) nailing a Top 10 finish – are a distant memory. He’s now in a top car and capable of delivering top results.
The quiet elation we saw from Ericsson after his first two IndyCar wins at Detroit and Nashville in 2021 more than matched what we saw from him after his Formula 2 (at that time called GP2) victories at Spa in 2012 and Nurburgring in ’13. But of course, the result on May 29 this year was on a different level and so, too, was the magnitude of the post-race celebration. And yet despite those iconic photos of milk drenching his cap and splashing his Huski Chocolate firesuit, an air of bemusement seemed to suppress him a tad.
