Marcus Ericsson rips IndyCar for ‘dangerous’ move at Indianapolis 500

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Ericsson (8) rides his scooter during day two of Indianapolis 500 practice Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo Credit: Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Marcus Ericsson ripped IndyCar over what he considered a “dangerous” decision toward the end of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

Ericsson won the 2022 Indy 500 and was looking to repeat as the race champion. He was leading when the race was restarted with one lap to go. However, he got passed by Josef Newgarden, who won the race.

There were three red flags over the final 20 laps, marring much of the excitement. Many critics were surprised that IndyCar called for a red flag towards the end rather than run the end of the race under yellow. The cars went from the pits to a final-lap shootout in short time, which bothered Ericsson.

“Just felt like it was an unfair and dangerous end to the race. I don’t think it was enough laps to do what we did,” Ericsson said. “I think we’ve never done a restart out of the pits and we don’t get the tires up to temperature.”

Ericsson still finished second in the race, but that was dissatisfying for him and Chip Ganassi Racing.

The Indy 500 was in a tough spot as much of the excitement was sapped by the cautions late in the race. IndyCar had to make a decision about whether they would run a one-lap shootout to win or let the cars finish under a yellow flag. Obviously Ericsson is not happy with their choice.