Winning the 2022 Indianapolis 500 may have been the biggest mental challenge Marcus Ericsson has ever had to pull off. And if needed, when the checkered flag waves in less than two weeks for the 110th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” he’s prepared to do it all over again in order to return to Victory Lane.
With practice rounds already underway for the May 24 classic, the swift-moving Swede hopes to channel the same mental edge he tapped into three years ago—this time driving the No. 28 Honda and wearing Andretti Global black.
Ericsson has been putting in the work. Sure, there’s the weight-room grind and the conditioning that comes with 500 miles at speeds over 200 mph, but he credits his dedicated work with a mental performance coach for helping him handle high-pressure moments with a stronger level of confidence.
“I’ve always been interested in the mental side of things,” he says. “I think it is very powerful for anyone really, but for an athlete, it can be a game changer if your mental strength is better than your competitors.”
The former F1 driver is checking all the training boxes in order to rebound from a slower-than-expected start to the 2026 season. With just one top-five finish so far, a second Indy 500 win would be a massive momentum shift. He’s hitting the weight room hard, adding 10 pounds to his 5’11” frame, mixing in cycling, and even adding Pilates for core work. He’s also partnered with allergy reliever Allegra as a precaution to help keep seasonal allergies from becoming a distraction.
But his most important work, he believes, in terms of preparation and overall performance, has been with Swedish mental performance coach Stig Wiklund, whom he began working with several months after his 2022 Indy victory. Regardless of the results so far this season, Ericsson is driving stronger, smarter, and with more confidence.
“This year, we’ve really taken another step forward,” he says. “He gives me different programs that I do on a daily basis. So I’m going to the gym every day, I do my mental training every day, and it’s really helping me be the best version of myself.”
The Move that Helped Set Up His Mental Health Movement
For Ericsson, mental health has become a cause close to his heart, especially following the 2018 death of fellow Swede DJ Avicii. For this year’s race, he recently unveiled a newly designed helmet featuring mental health awareness messages like “Stop the Stigma,” as a public sign showing his personal commitment.
On the track, Ericsson is also a proponent in the benefits of having a mental coach in your corner. It’s a growing trend not only in sports but in areas like music as well. “I think it’s a key in pressure situations when you’re fighting for a win or a better place in a race,” he says. “To be able to close out thoughts from your head on the track shows how important the mental side of things are.”
There may be no better example of using mental strength in uncomfortable situation than in 2020—perhaps the longest 10-minute wait of his career. In the final laps of the 2022 Indianapolis 500, Ericsson’s received a huge break a favor after a shocking mistake by then-Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon who was leading before receiving a penalty.
Now in the lead with only four laps remaining, a crash by Jimmie Johnson brought out a rare red flag, forcing drivers to sit on pit road for more than 10 minutes while crews cleared the track. When racing finally resumed, Ericsson, now having to sit and wait and go over every scenario in his head for a potential frantic finish, was able to get the jump on runner-up Pato O’Ward, aggressively defending for two laps to hold the lead and secure the win.
“I was sitting and waiting on restarting the race, leading the biggest race in the world, knowing if I win this race, it’s going to change my life forever,” he recalls. “All the mental work I’d done to keep me focused and not let my thoughts think about how close I am to winning the biggest race in the world made the difference. I think that made a difference and made me be able to win that race.”
Training for All-Around Peak Performance
With his mind rounding into peak race shape, getting all aspects of his body right has also been a major factor in his push back toward the top of the podium, including preventive care against health agitations out of his control, like allergies. With all the work he’s put in to overcome G forces, heat, and no power steering, Ericsson would hate to see a hay fever flare-up undo all the hard work. Rare, maybe, but it’s a valid reason why a partnership with over-the-counter antihistamine giant Allegra can be so critical.
“It’s very much real,” Ericsson says. “Allegra has been really good for us, myself having seasonal allergies, but also a lot of my team personnel, who need to be sharp and ready. And during allergy season it’s really important.”
Allergy prevention is just one more layer in an already stacked training and wellness program Ericsson has built in his quest to return to championship form. During the offseason, he hits the weightroom at least five days a week, mixing barbells and bodyweight exercises to add strength for muscling the car without power steering. He also adds neck training, using a helmet rigged to a cable machine to strengthen the muscles that absorb the G force punishment, especially around tight corners. “It looks a bit funky in the gym, for sure, but it’s effective,” he says. It’s helped me be able to withstand those G forces you get in a race car.”
In season, with all the off-track responsibilities that go with racing, the workouts remain consistent but scaled back. Ericsson still works closely with Andretti Global trainer Chris Snyder on a regular basis. “I work with him and work out pretty much every day, I would say, and a lot about strength and mobility as well,” he says. “Obviously, upper body is important—shoulders, neck, arms—because we don’t have the power steering. But you still have to be strong in your whole body and your core, because of all the G forces that you get in a race car.” Most sessions wrap with a few rounds of light boxing for conditioning, hand-eye coordination, and mental sharpness when the race winds down.
One of the biggest additions over the past two years, he says, has been Pilates. The core-focused, mobility monster of a workout has been a game changer for Ericsson after long stints behind the wheel began taking a toll on his lower back. Now he does it two to three times a week and is seeing—and feeling—the results.
“That makes a lot of drivers struggle with their back, their lower back especially, including myself,” he says. “Starting with Pilates has really helped me build core strength.”
Mixed in with the Pilates workouts, Ericsson is also able to incorporate more mindful exercises prescribed by Wiklund, including meditation, a major mind booster for athletes to help reduce stress cortisol, and increase awareness.
“It’s more for the mindset, working on reflection and analyzing my thoughts,” he says. “We do breathing exercises as well when I do Pilates. It’s also obviously a very powerful tool.
Now, as he heads into this year’s Indy 500 bigger, stronger, and more mentally in tune with his body, a second title feels well within the former winner’s reach. “I think we’ve had a really strong start. So it’s about continuing that trend and having a strong season,” he says. “But of course, we want to win races. And the sooner the better.