#9 MARCUS ERICSSON
Marcus Ericsson’s four seasons in Formula One have brought him more penalty points than World Championship points. His budget finds him staying at Sauber for another year, where hopefully the team will be more competitive and the Swede can show what he’s made of.
| Full Name | Marcus Ericsson |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Age | 27 |
| Date of Birth | 2nd September 1990 |
| First Race | 2014 Australian Grand Prix |
| First Win | – |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
Marcus Ericsson’s first karting experience came when he was nine years old. With backing from Swedish racing stars Fredrik Ekblom (British Formula 3000 and Indy Lights driver) and Kenny Bräck (1999 Indianapolis 500 winner), his first season in cars certainly raised some eyebrows, as he became the 2007 Formula BMW UK champion. He continued on the ladder in 2008, finishing fifth in the British Formula 3 Championship. The following year, he returned to championship glory when he took the Japanese Formula Three title. He also enjoyed his first F1 test in 2009, with the championship winning Brawn GP team. The Swede found it more difficult when transitioning into F1’s main feeder series. In four years competing in GP2, Ericsson took just three wins and two poles, finishing a best of sixth in the championship in his final year.
Ericsson bought his way into a Caterham F1 seat for 2014. The struggling team spent most of the season at the back of the grid, and Marcus finished a best of eighth at the season opening Australian Grand Prix. In 2015, he moved to Sauber, and had his most competitive season in the sport thus far, scoring nine points, and finishing in the top ten five times. 2016 was most notable for Ericsson’s biggest crash in F1, crashing heavily in Free Practice Three at the British Grand Prix. He was able to partake in the following day’s race, but the season was ultimately a disappointment, with the Sauber car never quite competitive enough to score points.
Marcus Ericsson was the only driver who was at every race in 2017 to not score points through the whole season. He suffered an embarrassing crash in Monaco under Safety Car conditions and while better showings in Azerbaijan and Mexico saw him on for points finishes, outside circumstances cost him the opportunity. Nevertheless, the Swede fared better against Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein than many had expected him to.
Ericsson has scored two more penalty points than World Championship points during his time in Formula One. He holds on to his seat at Sauber for a fourth season, mainly for financial reasons rather than through talent. Hopefully he’ll have the machinery to prove his worth in 2018 and be able to score his first points since the 2015 Italian Grand Prix.
MARCUS ERICSSON’S F1 RECORD
| Year | Team | Place | Wins | Poles | Podiums |
| 2014 | Caterham | 19th (0 points) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | Sauber | 18th (9 points) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Sauber | 22nd (0 points) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Sauber | 20th (0 points) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Sauber |