Ericsson strikes late to win chaotic Indy Markham debut

Credit: Toofan Karami

Marcus Ericsson claimed his first victory of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season in a chaotic inaugural Indy Markham, taking control late to beat Romain Grosjean and Will Power after a race filled with strategy changes, contact and six full-course cautions.

The first IndyCar race at Markham marked the beginning of a new chapter for the championship after 40 years of racing on the streets of Toronto. Located around 30 kilometres north of Toronto, the new circuit delivered an unpredictable first event where several drivers retired from the race and the running order changed throughout the afternoon.

Louis Foster started from pole position for the second time in his IndyCar career and the first time this season, with Christian Lundgaard alongside him and Scott McLaughlin starting third. Foster entered the race searching for his first career top-five finish, while Lundgaard carried momentum into Sunday after leading the morning warm-up.

As it happened

Foster made a strong start when the race went green, maintaining the lead as Lundgaard and McLaughlin held second and third. While the leaders safely negotiated the opening corners, trouble developed further back at the hairpin as Caio Collet, Pato O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist made contact on Lap 1.

Collet suffered a flat left-rear tyre and immediately returned to pit lane, although further damage kept him there until Lap 19. Rosenqvist initially continued before a slow puncture forced him into the pits on Lap 6, where he remained on the softer tyre compound.

Kyle Kirkwood had one of the strongest starts in the field, gaining six positions across the opening two laps to move into 16th. Rinus VeeKay became the first driver from the top six to make a scheduled stop on Lap 13, entering pit lane directly behind Santino Ferrucci in 19th.

The nature of the race changed two laps later. Mick Schumacher hit the wall at Turn 4 on Lap 15 and retired from the race, bringing out the first full-course caution and creating an opportunity for drivers willing to make an early strategic move.

Lundgaard became the first front-runner to take advantage, pitting under caution and rejoining in 19th behind Marcus Armstrong. Graham Rahal followed the same strategy and emerged directly behind Lundgaard in 20th, while the rest of the leading group elected to remain on track. VeeKay received the worst end of the timing after stopping only two laps before the caution.

Racing resumed on Lap 19 with Foster still controlling proceedings, but the different pit strategies meant the picture at the front was beginning to become less straightforward. Álex Palou soon passed David Malukas for sixth as the reigning champion began moving forward.

Another incident followed on Lap 20 when Dennis Hauger and Christian Rasmussen made contact, with O'Ward's front wing also receiving slight contact during the incident. All three continued, allowing the race to remain green.

Credit: James Black

Malukas pitted on Lap 22 and rejoined in 22nd. Rosenqvist's afternoon ended during the same lap when a fuel pressure issue forced the Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) driver to retire.

Palou made his stop on Lap 27 and returned to the track in 19th behind Hauger. McLaughlin followed two laps later from third, emerging in 15th behind VeeKay.

Ericsson began closing the gap to Foster before making his own stop on Lap 31, returning to the circuit in ninth. The timing soon became significant when Armstrong and Sting Ray Robb made contact at Turn 5 on Lap 32, bringing out the second full-course caution. Both drivers were able to continue the race.

Foster finally made his stop on Lap 34, with Scott Dixon following him into pit lane. The pair emerged in 11th and 13th, leaving Nolan Siegel in the lead ahead of Grosjean and Ericsson for the restart.

The restart brought immediate action throughout the field. Rahal and Robb made contact before Rahal emerged ahead, while McLaughlin and VeeKay both stalled at the hairpin as they attempted to negotiate the circuit at low speed.

More trouble arrived on Lap 36 when Hauger clipped Dixon's front wing, sending the six-time champion into a spin before Rasmussen became caught up in the incident. Rasmussen retired from the race and the third full-course caution was called, while Dixon returned to the pits with suspension damage and did not rejoin until Lap 44.

Josef Newgarden also visited pit lane on Lap 37 to replace his front wing, while Robb stopped two laps later and rejoined in 17th. Armstrong was handed a 10-second stop-and-hold penalty for failing to follow instructions from the AMR Safety Team following his earlier contact.

Siegel led the field back to green on Lap 40, but Grosjean quickly took control at the front. Behind him, Foster immediately began working his way back towards the leaders, gaining four positions across the first two laps after the restart, while Palou lost five places during the same period.

Palou's difficulties continued when he made contact with VeeKay at the hairpin on Lap 42, although both drivers escaped without race-ending damage. Foster then passed Ericsson on Lap 43 then suffering a huge impact with the wall moments later, ending a promising afternoon for the polesitter and bringing out the fourth full-course caution.

The retirement denied Foster the opportunity to convert his second career pole into his first IndyCar top-five result. After controlling the opening portion of the race and recovering quickly following his pit stop, his afternoon ended against the barriers.

Siegel pitted under the caution on Lap 44 and returned in 17th, with Rahal following and emerging one position behind. Grosjean remained at the front and led the restart on Lap 50 ahead of Ericsson and Power, who had quietly climbed through the field after starting from the back of the grid.

Alexander Rossi suffered a flat tyre on Lap 51 following contact with Palou and returned to the pits, while Grosjean made his next stop two laps later and rejoined in 15th. With strategies continuing to overlap, determining the true order remained difficult as the race moved towards its final third.

Another contender disappeared on Lap 54 when Kirkwood hit the wall at Turn 10. His strong recovery from the opening laps ended in retirement and another full-course caution, further compressing the field and creating another opportunity for drivers on alternate strategies.

Ericsson led Power and Lundgaard when racing resumed on Lap 59, but the green flag lasted only moments. Siegel and Newgarden made contact at the hairpin on the same lap, with Siegel able to continue while Newgarden retired from the race.

The incident triggered another full-course caution and prompted most of the front-running drivers to pit on Lap 60. When the race returned to green on Lap 62, Ericsson headed Grosjean and McLaughlin, while Siegel later received a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact following his incident with Newgarden.

Rossi retired on Lap 66 after suffering a mechanical problem, while the battle at the front began to take shape. Ericsson had stretched one of his tyre stints to 40 laps before finally making his stop on Lap 69, emerging in sixth behind VeeKay.

Credit: Julia Bissessar

The Swedish driver now had fresher tyres and quickly began using them. Grosjean remained in contention at the front while Palou continued his recovery, passing McLaughlin for second on Lap 74 as the leading group began to close together.

Palou lost valuable time two laps later after locking up, dropping around a second to Grosjean. Power then passed Ericsson for third on Lap 77, continuing an outstanding recovery after starting from the final position on the grid.

Ericsson refused to let Power escape. The pair fought at the hairpin on Lap 81 and made contact, but both continued without damage. Ericsson emerged ahead and reclaimed third, keeping his victory hopes alive entering the final ten laps.

The closing stages became a sprint towards the finish as the different strategies finally converged. Ericsson used his fresher tyres to move past Palou for second at the hairpin, placing only Grosjean between himself and victory.

Behind the leaders, Malukas made another visit to pit lane on Lap 84 after hitting the wall and rejoined in 16th. Power also continued his charge, passing Palou for third at Turn 9 on the same lap to put himself in position for a remarkable podium after starting last.

Ericsson had already closed onto the back of Grosjean and made his decisive move for the lead on Lap 85. After spending much of the race working through different strategies and traffic, the Andretti Global driver finally moved to the front when the result mattered most.

Kyffin Simpson hit the wall at Turn 5 on the same lap but managed to continue without triggering another caution. That allowed Ericsson to begin building a gap rather than preparing for another restart, giving him the opportunity to control the final run to the chequered flag.

Once clear of Grosjean, Ericsson quickly established his advantage. The Swedish driver pulled away over the closing laps and crossed the line 7.620 seconds ahead to secure his first victory of the season and become the first IndyCar winner on the streets of Markham.

Grosjean held on to second after leading during the second half of the race, completing a strong afternoon after emerging as a victory contender through the changing pit cycles.

Power completed the podium after one of the most impressive recovery drives of the race. Starting from the back of the grid, the Australian avoided the incidents around him, took advantage of the changing strategies and made the moves required late in the race to climb all the way to third.

Palou finished fourth after an eventful afternoon that saw him involved in contact and a lock-up, with his position on track fluctuating throughout the race.

O'Ward completed the top five after an equally impressive recovery from 23rd on the grid, overcoming his involvement in the opening-lap incident to secure a strong haul of championship points.

Lundgaard crossed the line sixth after leading the warm-up and running near the front during the opening stages. VeeKay recovered from the unfortunate timing of his early pit stop to finish seventh, while McLaughlin took eighth after starting third.

Rahal and Ferrucci completed the top ten after navigating a race where staying out of trouble proved almost as important as outright pace.