Ericsson disappointed to not race at Spa after missing IndyCar
F1 News
Marcus Ericsson has expressed his frustration at not racing in Belgium having been called up to Alfa Romeo as cover for Kimi Raikkonen, who picked up a leg injury over the summer break.
The Swede missed the penultimate round of the IndyCar series in Portland to cover for Raikkonen if needed, but he didn't get a minute in the car as the Finn was able to complete the weekend.
Ericsson is Alfa Romeo's reserve driver for the season, having been dropped at the end of last season.
He told Swedish broadcaster Viasat: “I’m racing for a new contract there [in IndyCar] for next year and, of course, every time you get to race its an opportunity to show them what you’re made of.
“So of course its not optimal, but there was such a real chance of me racing this weekend that the decision was made for me to be [at Spa].
“Both Kimi and the team agreed that it was very uncertain that he was going to be able to race.
“It’s not the optimum situation for me, but that’s the case sometimes.”
Ericsson's IndyCar team, Arrow SPM, will be backed by McLaren next season and the former Caterham and Sauber driver is still in the mix for a seat with the team next year.
He added: “I’m not sure how close that is, but I know there is interest from many teams.
"We are still in talks with my current team so there are definitely some good opportunities, but before anything is a done deal you don’t know. It feels like there is enough interest for there to be a hopeful situation ahead of 2020.”