Amid all the IndyCar chaos, Marcus Ericsson was as cool as ever in St. Pete maelstrom

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – When every other driver in the NTT IndyCar Series is losing their mind, that seems to be when Marcus Ericsson is in the perfect head space.

Sunday’s season opener was the latest evidence for why the self-proclaimed “Sneaky Swede” has become the most successful stealth star of the circuit.

Cars were going airborne through this city’s normally quiet thoroughfares, vulgarities were being hurled on national TV, and drivers were punching tire barriers in overwhelming fits of anger and frustration.

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Amid the maelstrom of animosity and disappointment that was the Grand Prix of St. Pete, Ericsson scored his fourth career victory while hardly ruffling a rival.

“I’m happy with everyone,” Ericsson said with a laugh. “So I’m good.”

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was among the lone exceptions in one of the most acerbic IndyCar races in recent memory.

Colton Herta, whose blood pressure might rise above 60 only when he’s slamming his drum kit at 100 mph, was so angry at Will Power for getting stuffed, he called the defending series champion “an ass.”

Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin preemptively made a beeline for an Andretti Autosport hauler to offer an apology and hug to Romain Grosjean, who was seething after their battle for an apparent win ended with both spinning from contention.

Even the always even-keeled Felix Rosenqvist seemed just a wee miffed after old buddy Scott Dixon accidentally squeezed him into the Turn 4 wall and started the Lap 1 chain reaction that left Devlin DeFrancesco inadvertently sticking a pirouette with an 1,800-pound car.

Rosenqvist was out, but Dixon rebounded to finish third while apologizing multiple times to his