IndyCar: Driver Q&A sessions – Kellett, Castroneves & Ericsson

Dalton Kellett

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Dalton Kellett. Welcome.

DALTON KELLETT: How’s it going?

THE MODERATOR: We spoke to you the other day, you had one teammate. Now you have two.

DALTON KELLETT: As of this morning, two. It’s exciting.

THE MODERATOR: Let’s talk about your role in this. Probably going to do a little bit of advising and coaching and leading as the senior member of this organization. Seems strange to believe 24 races in, a senior member. How does that role suit you?

DALTON KELLETT: I mean, I would put some air quotes on that. The team and I have talked. Realistically I’m not Seb with four championships and all the wins under his belt. The relationship between myself and Kyle and Tatiana won’t be the same. I think it will be a communal engineering. The experience I do have, haven’t had a chance to have yet in INDYCAR, I’m sure when those moments come up, there will be questions. I’m more than happy to lend whatever experience I can to help them along.

THE MODERATOR: Better to have experience than no experience.

DALTON KELLETT: 100%.

THE MODERATOR: You must have some empathy for what they’re about to go through. It’s a challenging road.

DALTON KELLETT: It’s a big undertaking even for the most prepared drivers. Kyle certainly is one of the most successful drivers to come out of the Road to Indy in a while. It will still be an adjustment for him I’m sure. When you get into INDYCAR, there’s a lot that you have to learn as far as the feedback you need, Firestone reds, the schedule, the cadence is different than it is in Lights. There’s a lot more going on as far as the engine, dampers, feedback, all that.

That will be certainly an adjustment. It’s exciting to see how the team gets on.

THE MODERATOR: You referenced Bourdais, maybe not specifically things he did for you, but what a difference having a real veteran in an organization does for a young driver.

DALTON KELLETT: I think for me it was great to have sort of — whether his way of doing things is the right way or not, it still gives you a direction that you and as the rookie can kind of riff off of. It took some of the decision making out of my hands, sort of put it in his. I was able to focus on driving technique, the bits of feedback I was giving to the engineer.

For me coming into it green as far as INDYCAR is concerned, that was a good thing. Then specifically just looking at, like, sort of Seb’s braking technique. Things I caught onto that we talked about that were helpful.

THE MODERATOR: How much undertaking is that going to be for the new drivers going to a new venue?

DALTON KELLETT: It’s always an adjustment when you haven’t been somewhere. Thinking back to Detroit, Nashville, I think those were the only two new ones for me last year. To be honest, I felt like those two events were actually strong for us, for our program.

I think a big part of that is doing the preparation on the simulator and the team looking at video. I think as long as they’re the type where they can get something out of the sims, I think that will be a good preparation tool for them. Obviously that’s kind of like specific to each person, whether you like simulators or not. For me I thought that was a good tool preparing for those races.

THE MODERATOR: They say in sports the jump from year one to two is the biggest jump. Did you see that jump in your improvement? I assume you would expect that to carry over into year three.

DALTON KELLETT: As far as what I felt personally, I felt there was a tangible, sizable jump there. The results weren’t what we always wanted, but we had some highlights at Gateway, some races that were going well. We had some consistency issues that I feel like we’ve dealt with from the mechanical side that shouldn’t hamper us.

Coming back at it with the experience of sort of that year and a half is going to be really helpful.

THE MODERATOR: Your oval program, obviously that’s where your biggest strength had been previously. I was going to note Gateway, you finished 12th. You must feel Indianapolis, maybe Texas, good places for you?

DALTON KELLETT: I think so. I think the ovals were sort of less of a question mark for us last year. I think still kind of the theme of last year was that qualifying was a bit of a struggle. Track position is just so important in these races, if you don’t get that good starting position, it can be really difficult to make the positions up. It’s really to work on the qualifying side. That puts you in the position to have sort of a place that you can kind of strike from, not just — when you’re starting towards the back, you’re already in a bad spot as far as the first pit cycle with the leaders coming up close. Being up the field at the start is goal one, no matter what track you’re on.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You mentioned ovals, last season being a bit of your strong suit. Qualifying something you need to focus on. What in particular with qualifying do you need to focus on? On the back end of that, what have you been working on the most during the off-season?

DALTON KELLETT: I think with qualifying, really it’s getting the most out of that. You really have one or two laps to kind of get it done, ensuring that the first lap you’re up to speed enough where you have a lap in the bang. Once you already have that safe lap, really just going to 100% and maximizing everything you can to get every last hundredth out of the car and yourself on that last lap that counts. I think that’s really the focus.

It’s really to the point where it’s more of a mental game than a technique, all that. You know what you need to do, it’s kind of executing it without making mistakes, or if you make a small mistake just moving on and not being too affected by it. It’s really getting that mental approach down where you can attack qualifying like you need to.

Q. You mentioned your two other teammates, which makes A.J. Foyt now a three-car operation. Do you think this will help your development process? Will there be too many cooks in the kitchen?

DALTON KELLETT: That’s a good question. Obviously anytime you add another entry to an existing program, there’s going to be a learning period and a time where we’re all getting used to how the work flows together.

The good thing is that there’s two fresh faces, so it’s kind of like a fresh start. Not like you’re throwing something into an existing program. The team has done a great job as far as putting the necessary personnel together. I’m confident from that standpoint in my limited time with Kyle and Tatiana it seems they’ll be great to work with. We’ll have to see how things work out.

Q. Tatiana tested with A.J. Foyt last season. She obviously knows her stuff within the team. How beneficial is that going to be to you with her bringing in a fresh perspective, also with Kyle as well?

DALTON KELLETT: Certainly. I think they’ll both bring some fresh aspects to what we’re thinking from a setup standpoint. That is kind of the good thing about rookies, I felt it in the last couple years, there was a time with Seb where he had a preconceived notion of what the car should be and what it could be before the aeroscreen. You add in the aeroscreen, it totally affects, changes what the car can even do. Sometimes it’s beneficial to have that blank slate. I think that will be a good thing.

Obviously Tatiana is coming with a pretty wide background as far as her experience in different formulas, different cars. Same with Kyle. He’s racing Daytona in a couple weeks. He’s obviously been doing pretty well in the Road to Indy. They’re both coming in with a lot of great experience. It will be exciting to see what they bring to it as far as the setup and technical standpoint.

Q. What would be a strong, solid season for you? Top 10s or further up?

DALTON KELLETT: I think given where we were last year, we want to be incremental, right? You want to focus on breaking the top 15, do that consistently, then kind of go from there.

I think for the first quarter of the year, definitely the main goals are improving in qualifying and consistently finishing ahead of where we were last year. If we can be getting towards that 15 to 12 mark where we finished up at Gateway for our best finish last year, if we can best that at this point this year and be a little more consistent around that range, that would be a very strong step up for the team and myself.

Q. Last year you were the teammate of Sebastien Bourdais. What have you learned from him?

DALTON KELLETT: To give you a really specific example, I think something that we see in junior formula, sort of the way you attack the brakes is prescribed in a very specific way. Seb without going into specifics was maybe doing things a little bit differently, just the way he was ramping up the brakes, kind of leading into it, was a bit different to what I’d done previously. I thought that was a good — it wasn’t like I applied it everywhere because sometimes what works for one person doesn’t always work for the other. It sort of made me think about rechecking what I was doing, think about the technique that I hadn’t really considered.

When you see someone doing it a bit differently, you kind of think back and sort of reevaluate what you’re doing, see what works and what doesn’t. Moments during the year he was doing things differently, we talked through it. That was a good learning opportunity for me.

Q. If Paul Tracy and Greg Moore were racing now, you be just an INDYCAR fan from Canada, who would you be looking for more?

DALTON KELLETT: I would probably be Team Greg. I love P.T. He’s certainly a Canadian legend in the INDYCAR world. I think Greg was definitely a fan favorite as well. I would be Team Red Gloves. Sorry, Paul.

Q. Now that you’re taking a leadership role, which advice would you give Tatiana and Kyle? Which advice would you give to each of them?

DALTON KELLETT: I think the best thing you can do as a rookie really is to take things step by step, whether you’re experienced or not. Coming into an INDYCAR is going to be a big adjustment, there’s a lot going on. Focusing on what you’re doing, trying to excel at one thing, maybe not getting too lost in the big picture, really focus on what you can control at that moment.

Then just making sure you’re staying on top of preparation, being kind of ready when you get to the track. These weekends go a lot quicker and are a lot busier than you might have been in, say, Indy Lights or different series. Where you thought before you might have had the time to do some prep, video or data, you’re probably not going to have the time to do as much of that stuff as you did before. Making sure you’re kind of ready when you get to the track is a good way to start every event.

THE MODERATOR: It changes from teammate to teammate, but how quickly do you establish a bond?

DALTON KELLETT: Depends on personalities. Some you click with right away. Some it grows a little bit. Seb and I weren’t best buddies right off the bat. After the year we spent together, that relationship got better and better. Might be an age thing, too. When you’re younger, have more common interests, you might click right away.

As far as working together, I think we’re all professionals. As far as the engineering room goes, I think that’s going to come together certainly by the end of the first event or so I’d say. The initial sort of gelling, then from that you’re getting more and more in tune with each other.

THE MODERATOR: You’ll be with Tatiana and Kyle at Wednesday’s test. Will you spend more time thinking about the changes that are made, how that applies to your program, or more attentive to their needs?

DALTON KELLETT: My engineer asked me to bring a camera, take some video and stuff, so I have some assignments as far as stuff they want to get. The focus is obviously on the two cars that are there at the test. That’s the objective for that day.

From my perspective, I’m certainly going to be also spending time just hearing how they talk with the engineers, seeing what the changes are, what the effects are. It will be an interesting exercise to kind of see the other side of it, see how the team is working together. I’d say a little bit of both.

Q. Your third season, now you’re the seasoned veteran. How strange is that, the longest tenured driver out of this group of three?

DALTON KELLETT: It’s a unique position to be in. It’s certainly exciting. I think we talked about it a bit earlier, but it’s important to emphasize. I think the relationship is different when you have a rookie like myself the last year and Seb, a seasoned veteran, a known quantity, versus what we’re going into this year, which is a semi veteran and then two rookies. I think it will be maybe a bit more of a communal aspect.

On the flipside there’s definitely experience I have had doing a year and a half in INDYCAR that the other two won’t. Certainly in any situation that I can help and offer my experience, I’ll be certainly doing that.

Q. Last week fellow Canadian announced he’ll be running an entire IMSA season, Robby Wickens. How proud are you of being able to see him be able to get to the point in his rehab to return to racing?

DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, I’m confident to say there were a lot of tears shed that day by a lot of people in the racing industry. An inspiring story. I train at Pit.Fit, where Robby does a lot of his rehab. To see him work that hard in the last few years is inspiring. I know Robby back from the karting days. To see Brian seem give him a chance to get back in it, it’s an amazing thing.

 

Helio Castroneves

THE MODERATOR: The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Helio Castroneves.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: That’s awesome. I’ve been introduced several times today. It’s just music to my ears, I have to say.

THE MODERATOR: What do you think? Is a five-timer in the cards?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Absolutely. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have a chance. Going to be fighting for it.

However, a few things first. Starting the championship with new people again just because the part-timers last year weren’t able to continue.

However, Mike has a talent to find great quality people. Really, really, really looking forward to St. Pete. When you have that kind of preparation, imagine what we did last year without any preparation, now you can only imagine having everyone in sync.

It’s just going to get better.

THE MODERATOR: I’m going to ask you a tough question because I love you and all.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I know.

THE MODERATOR: Your road courses and street courses, move up? What do you think?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Street course was doing pretty well, weren’t they? Starting third last year in Long Beach. But the strategy unfortunately didn’t work out the way we wanted.

Road course, yes. We weren’t finding the sweet spot like we did in Long Beach, for example. But that’s not worrying me right now. We just got to go through the process. We went through the process and we feel having Simon now with the team, which is going to be a great teammate as well, working together to understand what we need. That probably going to put us on the next level.

THE MODERATOR: How do you and Simon complement each other?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: You know, Simon is an amazing talent. Very particular. Understands what he likes. Looks for small details. When we’re together, one complement each other. He might like some things that maybe not suitable. However, there was things that works really well.

I really like it. He understand the team process, working as a teammate. We hopefully carrying that over to MSR, which not only going to help us, me and Simon, but help the team to elevate.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How did the test go last week at Sebring from your point of view?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Very good. As I mentioned, new members on the team were able to do some simulation of pit stops, were able to try some things in the race car. The weather unfortunately my side short a little bit. We end up having little issues on changing something in the car. Didn’t finish quite the way you want to.

However, coming back again and having the communication and being in the car. Sebring is always very tough place. We were able to run a lot of laps in the morning, which went flawless. So it was a good start.

Q. Did you and Simon pick up right where you left off when you were at Team Penske as far as camaraderie?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yeah, no, we definitely working on it. Like I said, we’re in the same room, same truck, we’re able to discuss what we feel that we can.

I just feel the communication is going to just get better. That was our first session together. He was just learning obviously the whole new process, as well, understanding the team. It was great. Certainly we’re in the right direction.

Q. Busy week for you because don’t you have to leave (indiscernible)?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: That’s correct. Now back, me and Simon, to the Acura Meyer Shank Racing team, looking forward to it, looking forward to the race next weekend. Yeah, it will be fun.

Q. If you had your choice, which two races would you like to win this year besides the 500 and why? What tracks are you hungry for?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, no question, Belle Isle is one place that last time we’re going to be racing there. That’s where everything started, winning my first-ever win in INDYCAR. That would be a special place for sure to come back.

St. Pete is always a place I enjoy coming over because of the history that we have there. It’s always been great. It’s the beginning of the season. Every time beginning of the season, everybody’s excited. Not only myself but the team. We’re pumped.

Texas is a place going to be different this year for me. We’re going to be doing doubleheader, sharing the weekend with IMSA in Sebring.

There are few places. Mid-Ohio, it’s becoming part of my home now with Meyer Shank Racing being from Ohio. That would be cool to carry the flag for many, many years that I won there, great to go back there and do it again.

Q. You’re very kind of engrossed with MSR. How beneficial is that with you working on both the sports car side and the INDYCAR side?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Repeat that question, please.

Q. How beneficial is it to you being both part of the MSR team and then being into the INDYCAR team as well?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Look, I spent three years with IMSA. Actually the year before in 2020 ended up winning the championship. Last year we won not with MSR but I won the Daytona 24 Hour.

It’s not that I’m just there filling a seat. This car is basically the car they ran for three and a half years because last year doesn’t count, did only two races. It’s something that you still there to develop, to improve.

Let’s face it, we want to win the Daytona 24 Hours. With that, it’s an opportunity for us to do well. We have two teammates, Tom and Jarvis. Jarvis worked for Mazda for a long time. It takes a little bit of time to adapt.

It makes sense for me to be there. It’s not that I going to be there, as I said, just to drive around. I want to win as much as anybody. Make sense to help the team to keep and organize Simon, another driver that drove for Acura. We understand each other.

This is going to be good for us, for the team, as I said, when I mention ‘us’. To continue the distance races. It certainly helps.

For me, since we don’t practice anymore or much with INDYCAR, it’s great always to be behind the wheel driving, racing. It just open your driver skills or improve your driver skills anything that you drive.

Q. You mentioned Detroit. It got me thinking, if you were to go back 22 years ago when you climbed your first fence, if you were to look back on it, what would the Helio of today tell the Helio of then?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Keep it going, my friend. You’re going to have a bright future. That’s what I would tell (smiling).

I tell you what, it’s amazing all these years being able to accomplish obviously everywhere we be able to go. It’s always a challenge. Racing is challenging, right? When you love your sport, when you love what you do, you want to always improve. That’s where I’m at right now. I want to continue improving and pushing hard.

It’s fun when you prove some people wrong. I do that all the time with my wife. I don’t get the credit anyway, so…

Q. The last couple years it’s been interesting for you from running the personal schedule to Penske, moving over to Meyer Shank, winning the Indy 500 last year, now back on the schedule full-time again. What do you feel you’ve learned about yourself through those times where it almost seemed like your career in INDYCAR was coming to an end almost?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Right. I really enjoyed everywhere I went, learning different process. Through the Acura program I was able to relearn again 10, 15 years ago when you did have different manufacturers developing the car engine and stuff like that, which fascinates me. Obviously in the car all the engines are regulated, the rules are different.

However, you still learn something. That’s why people sometimes don’t understand, those small details, whether it’s outside talking to different engineers because sometimes you have different lingo talking about that, but it actually translate to something you’re doing within the car which you can explain a little bit better and improve what you were doing.

This is what I enjoyed over the years. That’s why I’m so, so pumped for 2022 because now we going to be able to go to all the tracks again and try different things and keep it going.

It’s a constant learning process. I always say the quote Rick Mears told me, You never stop learning until you’re six or seven feet under the ground, depends how tall are you. It’s true. You always keep learning.

Q. A question about sports cars. Would you consider increasing your involvement in this category maybe full-time?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Okay, can you repeat the question slowly, please.

Q. As a sports car racing will enter its new era next year, would you consider maybe increasing your involvement in IMSA racing?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Whew. Let’s go with 2022 first and then we will see how the process goes (smiling). As of right now that’s where our focus is. But it would be great because LMDH would be awesome to be part of it, would be also awesome to learn something different with those different engines. I would love to, don’t get me wrong. That’s not my decision.

My desire is to do that, but unfortunately it’s not my decision. We will go through 2022 for sure. Thank you for the question.

Q. Right now are competing in full-time season. You are a four-time INDYCAR winner. In which race do you stay focus in winning the fifth Indy 500 race or do you prefer to stay focused in winning the championship, which you don’t have the opportunity to win?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Let me tell you one thing. To win the championship — winning the Indy 500 will make that path less difficult. Thank God Indy 500 is in May, probably the fourth or fifth race. That would definitely help to keep pursuing the championship. That’s the goal. We’re definitely here to do that.

THE MODERATOR: I’m not surprised you won an Indy 500 a fourth time, but now you have a patch that says that so you don’t forget.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yeah, even my name is over here. Look at that. I love it. This guy must be worth a lot.

THE MODERATOR: I’m shocked that she got you to move out of Florida. How did that happen?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Let me explain about that. It was a glimpse of a pandemic scenario. I end up selling my place, going to Georgia. Now I’m back, going back to Florida again. I’m going to be most of the time in Key Biscayne, which is great. My little girl is going to be kind of like back and forth. It’s kind of like Plan B, why don’t you come over the weekend, sunshine here and everything.

Let’s see how long that going to works. But again, I like to prove wrong. Hopefully I’ll prove what we did was a different direction.

Q. (No microphone.)

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yes. He got it. He got it.

THE MODERATOR: I saw in a winter parka the other day when you called in.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Oh, my God.

THE MODERATOR: I thought you were in Alaska.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I thought, too. It was snowing two days ago. I was like, What’s going on? I saw once in Atlanta snow. Wow, that was cold, yeah. That’s another reason. I do feel buying that place in Key Biscayne was the best decision I ever made, so…

Training will be great, right? Weather. Yes, relaxing will be good, too.

THE MODERATOR: Inviting your pals down.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: There we go, yes. More than welcome.

Marcus Ericsson

THE MODERATOR: Marcus Ericsson has joined us. May just be my observation but I see you walk in here knowing how well you performed last season through the top five a lot, finished top six, two wins, you look and feel like an INDYCAR driver these days. Do you feel pretty confident in this sport now?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Yeah, I do. I think I’ve had some steady progress in my three years in the series. Last year was definitely kind of a breakthrough for me getting that first win out of the way, having a super strong season, a consistent season with a lot of top 10s, actually running in the top five for most of it there in the second half. Lost Colton in the last race. But still it was a very strong year.

It’s been a good off-season. We’ve been analyzing it, trying to understand how to improve and be even stronger for this season. I’m really liking where we are at the moment going into this new season.

THE MODERATOR: When we got to Nashville, you’d already had a race win, then of course you had the early race situation where your car got vertical. I thought the last half of the race when you and Colton were dueling, just a terrific drive. After your years of not being able to be in a position to win races, that’s what racing should feel like?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Yeah, that was one of the reasons I came to America in the first place, was to compete for wins and podiums again. In Formula 1 it depends a lot what team you’re in. For five years I was not in a position to be able to do that.

It’s been fun since coming here to know that you have that ability or that chance, let’s say. Of course, to get that first win in Detroit was very special. I think like you talk about that Nashville performance, the second half of that race, defending from Colton, all the restarts and everything, was definitely one of my best performances of my career.

Yeah, it was a lot of good memories from last year that I bring with me.

THE MODERATOR: To put three cars in the top six in the standings, you have to think this season could be a repeat of that?

MARCUS ERICSSON: I think so, yeah. We have a very strong team. We work so well together. I think that’s one of the sort of reasons why we are so strong, is that we have all of us drivers in the team, me Scott and Alex, but also Jimmie and T.K. We are really working well together. We’re different characters, different personalities, but we all work really hard together and want to succeed as a team. I think that’s been getting the best out of each other last year. It was a big reason why we were so strong.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Both of your wins have come on street courses now. Are you thinking maybe you can become a street course specialist or are you looking to be more all around?

MARCUS ERICSSON: I don’t know. I’ve always liked street courses. I had the lap record in Macau for almost 10 years I think from F3 there. I’ve always gone well on street courses. So, yeah, maybe wasn’t a surprise for me that I won my first race on a street course.

Still most of my life I’ve been driving on road courses for the most part of it. I do think that’s maybe a bit more natural for me. But I like it here in America on the street courses, the sort of challenge they present, bumpy, difficult to drive. That sort of challenge with very little room for errors is something that I like in racing. That’s one of the reasons why I like to drive on street courses.

Q. I think you ended with 12 top 10s throughout the year. Is that something you’re looking to continue, or are you looking to take a few more chances?

MARCUS ERICSSON: I think the consistency is a key in INDYCAR. That was the reason why I was running for a championship there deep into the season last year. I aim to continue that. Instead of a lot of seventh or eighth finishes, trying to change that to top fives. That’s how we’re going to be able to challenge really for the championship.

Keep that consistency, but try and, yeah, improve top 10s to top fives.

Q. You’re obviously heading off to Daytona next. What is it about endurance racing that’s interesting to you? Do you have any bucket list races that you would like to do?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Yeah, I’m real excited to go to Daytona. It’s been sort of on my list to try and get to do that race, yeah, since I came here two years ago to America.

It’s obviously a very prestigious race to be part of. But I think also it’s a perfect way to sort of get the year started, especially these days with very limited testing. It’s a great way to sort of get up to speed with the driving before the INDYCAR season. It’s a win-win for me.

Of course, going there with Chip Ganassi Racing, with a great lineup, it’s going to be really a big opportunity for me. I’m really excited to take that new challenge. I’ve never done any endurance racing before. It’s definitely going to be a lot to learn for me. I’m really looking forward to it.

Q. Any other endurance races you’d want to do down the line?

MARCUS ERICSSON: I mean, of course Le Mans is something you want to do as a racing driver. That’s definitely on my list as well in the future.

Q. You talked about both the steps you took last year and the steps you want to take this year being alongside Alex Palou in his big rise last year. Is there any one or two lessons that you took from being around him in the year he won his championship that you feel like you might be able to apply to your push here in 2022?

MARCUS ERICSSON: I think the key, Alex did a very strong year, didn’t do hardly any mistakes. That’s one of the things. I think also what Alex did really well was that he qualified very high up the field most of the races. That have shown again and again that you usually stay out of a lot of trouble if you qualify a bit higher.

I felt like I improved that quite a bit last year compared to my first two seasons in INDYCAR. That helped me finish higher up in the races. The area for me is to try to qualify a bit higher up. I think that was why Alex put himself in a good position to score points every time on race day.

Qualify a bit higher up and limit the mistakes, I think that’s the key.

Q. Your improvement in qualifying last year was noted. After you got finished with the season, looked back, was it taking a little bit more risks, more setup driven, anything consistently you could point to that led to the improvement?

MARCUS ERICSSON: I think one thing was the understanding of the tires, to get more out of the alternate tire. I think I sort of unlocked some keys there to do that on a regular basis. In combination with my race engineer, Brad Goldberg, helping me to set up the car more the way I need to have the car set up to get the most out of my driving style.

We’ve been working together for two years. He really knows what I need from a race car to go fast. He’s been giving me that a lot of the times last year. Now over the off-season we’ve been digging into the details even more than last year trying to learn from it, aim to sort of have that ability to get the car where I want it for as many races as possible obviously.

I think that relationship, engineer and driver, it’s so important in INDYCAR. I’m lucky to have such a good race engineer in Brad that really works hard to give me the car I need.

Q. How do you see the team towards the new season? Do you believe you will have a real opportunity for fighting for the championship this year?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Yeah, I think finishing sixth last year, it’s natural for me to aim for the championship this year. I had three seasons with good, steady improvement. Yeah, the next step for me is to really challenge for that championship. That’s the goal. Especially being in a team like Chip Ganassi Racing, you’re going to have the tools to do that. That’s definitely the goal for me. I’m working really hard to be on that level from the get-go in St. Pete.

Q. You are at a great team, was a championship contender last year. (Indiscernible) points to progress and achieve the championship?

MARCUS ERICSSON: The points progress?

Q. Yes.

MARCUS ERICSSON: I think, again, the consistency is the key seriously. In the car, to not crash out of the races or finish in the back of the field. You need to always be within the top 10 or even top five on a regular basis.

It’s hard. The field these days in INDYCAR, it’s just incredible depth. It’s very easy to be P20 in this field. I think that’s the hard part, to always be up front.

Also we go to so many different types of tracks. Yeah, it’s a tough championship for sure. I think I couldn’t be within a better team to do it. I’m very thankful for that. Hope that we can deliver on all types of tracks.

Q. What do you think your countryman Linus Lundqvist?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Sorry, again?

Q. What do you think about your countryman Lundqvist in Indy Lights?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Yeah, no, I was following him closely last year. I think he did a very good season, winning races and running up front.

Yeah, I’m not sure if he’s confirmed, his plans for this year. I’m hoping he’s staying here in America, hopefully in Indy Lights, trying to win that championship. I think he should have a good chance of doing that in a second year. He’s a big talent.

It’s good to see him and Rasmus Lindh, another young Swede, here in America racing, that we have not only me and Felix in INDYCAR, but also younger drivers in the junior categories here in the States.

Q. Last year there was a lot of rumors regarding buyout by Andretti Autosport, Colton Herta would go to F1. What piece of advice would you give to him?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Yeah, I saw the rumors. I think Colton is very talented, a good driver. It’s difficult for me to say advice that way.

I think he’s happier in INDYCAR. He’s going to be a big threat for the championship this year I’m sure. Let’s see. But of course I understand if he’s also looking at Formula 1 if he gets the opportunity there. It’s difficult for me to say from the outside.

Q. You mentioned having a strong back end to the 2021 season, finishing sixth, the goal being a championship contender. Are you the type of driver who likes to fly under the radar when it comes to being a championship contender or do you want the fans and competitors to know you’re a contender?

MARCUS ERICSSON: I don’t know. Like since I came here to INDYCAR, I seem to be flying under the radar for quite a bit. Even last year winning some races, it felt like I was maybe flying a bit under the radar, which is fine by me. I don’t mind that. It’s okay.

I don’t mind the other way around either, to be honest. Yeah, I just try and focus on my stuff. I know I have the ability. I know I have the people around me that I need to succeed. I try and focus on that. If people notice it or not, I don’t really care. In the end of the day it’s the results that counts. That’s what I’m focusing on.

Q. The calendar was released recently, especially the broadcast times, brought back a bit. Beneficial for European viewers. Is that something that you and some of the other European drivers have been talking to INDYCAR about, try to think of those considerations?

MARCUS ERICSSON: We’ve been talking about it. Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the calendar and the start times. Like you said, it’s really good for the European audiences. Most of the races are starting in a good time slot, almost primetime in Europe on Sunday nights. It’s really good.

I know in Sweden me and Felix have a big following, a lot of people watching our races. I know in other European countries as well with more and more European drivers.

I think it’s great for the series because there is a big interest in motorsports in Europe. Everyone that I know that have started to watch INDYCAR the last couple years have loved it because the way the racing is, how entertaining it is.

I think it’s clever by the series to put it more easy for people in Europe to watch because it’s just going to help the series grow, and that’s going to help over time.

Q. Obviously with Jimmie Johnson going full-time with you this season, what do you think he’ll bring to the team in terms of his oval experience? Do you think he’ll bring anything extra to the team?

MARCUS ERICSSON: Yeah, I think so. He was a great asset to the team already last year. He had a very steep learning curve to go through. I think all of us was very impressed with his progress throughout the year, the way he was sort of competing towards the end of it.

I know already from his test in Texas that he was straight up to speed straightaway. Definitely his experience from ovals in NASCAR is something that’s going to translate well to the ovals in INDYCAR, I’m 100% sure about that.

He’s going to be a great asset for us to have in the team on the full season. I’m going to try and sort of pick his brain as much as possible when it comes to the ovals because I’m sure he has some tricks that he can teach out that’s going to help all of us.

I feel great. We have such a strong lineup again this year in Chip Ganassi Racing. I’m very, very happy and proud to be part of that.

THE MODERATOR: To give a sense for the Swedish fan base, would the fan base appreciate an INDYCAR championship or an Indy 500 win more? Not your perspective, their perspective.

MARCUS ERICSSON: No, I think in Sweden still and Europe, people don’t understand how big the 500 is. I think probably the championship is a bigger thing over in Europe and Sweden. It was the same before I came here to America. I didn’t really understand how big the 500 is.

I would say the championship probably for the people back home. But the more me and Felix talk about the 500 and how special it is, I think people understand more and more. I say it to everyone, that you need to experience it yourself. You need to come to a 500 to really understand it. That’s the cool thing. I’ve seen a lot of Swedes coming over, unfortunately not the last two years, but in ’19 there were a lot of Swedes there. I’m sure if borders are open this year, there’s going to be a lot of Swedish fans coming to the 500 this year.