Ericsson slams final Indy 500 red flag call, others disagree

Marcus Ericsson’s disappointment at his narrow defeat to Josef Newgarden in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 was compounded by what he believes was a wrong call from race control to throw a late red flag and set up a single-lap sprint to the finish to avoid the race ending under caution.

Ericsson took the lead on the previous restart with five laps to go, only for another crash towards the rear of the field to force the race to be halted again. Rather than continuing to keep the field circulating under yellow, race control stopped the race during the clean-up. The cars were sent out again on lap 198 for a lap behind the pace car before going green for the final lap, whereupon Newgarden got a run on Ericsson at the exit of Turn 2 and made what proved to be a winning pass for the lead.

“I think it was a tough way to end the race,” said the 2022 Indy 500 winner. “I don’t really agree with how we did that. I don’t think that was a fair way to end the race.

“There wasn’t enough laps to go to do what we did. I don’t think it’s safe to go out of the pits on cold tires for a restart when half the field is still trying to get out on track when we go green. I don’t think it’s a fair way to end the race. I don’t think it’s a right way to end the race. So I can’t agree with that.

“I don’t think it was enough laps to go when the yellow came, so I think it should have finished under yellow.”

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Ericsson said he does not plan to address the finish with the series, but conceded that it will take some time to make peace with a day where he felt he and his team did a perfect job of everything that was in their control, only to be denied by something that was out of their hands.

“I feel disappointed because I think we did everything right,” he said. “When that red came so late, I thought I was a bit too late, so I thought when the yellow came out with three laps to go, whatever, in my world we don’t restart that race.

“But it is what it is. You have to play with the cards you’re given, and I think we nailed it today. We did everything right. I did everything right. You can’t do more than that.

“Josef is a worthy champion, and I congratulate him on that. But it’s a bit tough to accept how it ended. That’s my feeling. But I’m very proud of our efforts and our performance today.”

However, Tony Kanaan — who finished 16th in his IndyCar swan song — believed race control’s decision to chase a green flag finish was the right one, and pointed to the criticism that came in the wake of his own Indy 500 win under yellows in 2013.

“We need to think about the show,” he said. “The biggest complaint we had every year was we shouldn’t finish a race under the yellow. That’s going to hurt someone. Actually, 32 guys are pissed right now, and one guy is happy. That’s the reality.

“Could have they called it earlier? Yes. Could have, should have, would have, but we ended under green, and that’s what the fans kept asking us every time.

“I won under yellow, and everybody hated it at some point. Easy for me to say, because I’m not in [Ericsson’s] shoes. I mean, look at this place. Do we really want to finish under yellow with all those people out there? For me, it was the right call.”

Santino Ferrucci, who finished third, was in step with the Brazilian veteran.

“I don’t mind what IndyCar did,” he said. “It’s just I think Marcus has a slightly different opinion, which is totally cool because he finished second. Sitting there third is tough because there is nothing you can do other than watch. That’s where the bittersweet is.”

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