F1 News: Ericsson to help Cadillac F1 team choose best Simulator

Indy 500 winner and ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson has revealed he’s supporting the Cadillac venture ahead of its 2026 entry.

The Swedish racer, currently competing in IndyCar with Andretti Global, has taken on a support role in developing the simulator technology that will underpin Cadillac’s entry into the pinnacle of motorsport.

Ericsson, 34, has Formula 1 experience. He raced in F1 with Caterham and Sauber from 2014 to 2018 before moving to the USA to compete in IndyCar in 2019 with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

That was followed by a four-year stint with Chip Ganassi he won the 2022 Indy 500 and might have won the 2023 Indy 500 as well but race winner Josef Newgarden crossed the pit entry line to break the tow but was not penalized. The line was there for a reason – once you cross it you are committed to entering pit lane. His team boss, Roger Penske, owns the Indy 500, the track and the IndyCar series and the race officials are paid by Penske.

Thanks to his move to Andretti last year, which is behind the Cadillac F1 venture in all-but-name, Ericsson has been asked to help the team pick the best race simulator.

“My employer, Andretti, has asked me to fly to England to test different simulators,” Ericsson told Viaplay’s F1 podcast.

“I will provide feedback so they can choose the right model for the whole organisation, including Formula 1, IndyCar, and sports cars.

“Simulators have become an integral part of motorsport, and I’ve been working on improving my own use over the winter.

“It’s great that they want to use me and my experience to help.”

Although Ericsson’s contribution to Cadillac’s Formula 1 project will primarily focus on simulation and development, speculation continues to swirl around who will occupy the American manufacturer’s F1 seats in 2026.

American Colton Herta is likely to get one of the seats.

“He is extremely quick. Everything he gets into, he’s quick,” 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button told Sky Sports F1.

“In IndyCar, he is extremely quick. He was my teammate when we raced at Daytona earlier this year. “He just gets in, and he’s on it.”

“He will be quick [in F1] from the word go. There is obviously a lot of learning, very different to IndyCar and the tracks are unknown to him. “He’s got the mindset.”