Ericsson: It's disappointing not being able to be part of Sauber rise

Marcus Ericsson revealed that he is disappointed to not be a part of Sauber's continued rise through the F1 ranks. Ericsson's stint with the team ended after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix having been replaced for 2019 by Antonio Giovinazzi.

The Swede will be racing in IndyCar in 2019 instead of continuing with Sauber. Since Ericsson joined the team back in 2015, Sauber has slowly begun to recover from their position down the order near the back of the pack.

2018 represented a substantial stride forward for the Swiss team, finishing eighth in the standings just a handful of points behind Force India and McLaren.

Having spent four seasons with the team, Ericsson admitted that whilst he was excited about his new opportunity away from F1, he was frustrated to not be continuing in the sport.

"That’s the disappointing part, not being able to continue it," he said.

"I’ve been here throughout all the bad times, and then now through the good times this year, and I feel very much part of the journey with the team, with everything that’s been happening.

"That’s why it’s sad not to continue with that, because now it really feels like we’re starting to hit out stride as a team and we really starting to fight higher up the field.

"(It) would have been nice to continue that for next year, but that’s the way it is. I’m still proud of what I’ve done and I feel I’ve been very much part of what the team has become today."

Although Ericsson is set to continue with Sauber in a developmental role, the parameters of his position are yet to be finalised.

"We need to still sit down after the season and discuss that as I made it very clear that I want to focus 100 percent on a racing programme for 2019, and when I had this IndyCar option I wanted to go all in on that.

"I’m still happy to be able to keep a connection to the team, but I need to sit down with the team and see exactly what I will do or not do and what my role will be.

"But for sure, 110 percent focus needs to be on IndyCar, otherwise there’s no point going there if you’re not 100 percent committed for it."