Ericsson snaps IndyCar drought with commanding win at Markham

The long wait is finally over. In a chaotic, heart-pounding late-race charge at the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson broke a 63-race winless streak to secure his fifth career NTT IndyCar Series victory.

Standing atop the podium for the first time since the 2023 season opener in St. Petersburg, the former Indianapolis 500 winner proved he remains a master of street-course survival.

Just ten days after sealing a contract extension with Andretti, Ericsson sliced through the field on fresh tyres to hunt down longtime rival Romain Grosjean, taking the lead with a bold late maneuver.

“It’s been long enough,” a hoarse Ericsson said after victory lane, blaming a cracked voice on his ecstatic post-checker screams.

“We’ve had such a good year... getting stronger and stronger. We might not have got the results we deserved every weekend, but I really felt we deserved [this].”

The path to victory was anything but easy. Gambling on a longer stint before pitting on Lap 69 of 90, Ericsson unleashed blistering pace to charge through traffic – including a hard bump in the Turn 5 hairpin with teammate Will Power.

“You never want that, but I had to get through,” Ericsson admitted. “I knew I could win this race.”

Power understood the aggression, staging his own heroic drive to recover for third and join Ericsson on the podium.

The heartbreak of the day belonged to Dale Coyne Racing’s Grosjean. Leading 28 laps, the Frenchman came agonizingly close to his elusive first series victory, ultimately settling for a runner-up finish.

“We did everything we could,” Grosjean reflected. “I thought I was going to win today, but on to the next one.”

For Ericsson, however, Markham marked a triumphant return to the winner's circle—proving that persistence on the concrete canyon walls pays off in gold.