A 25-year-old Briton, Ilott was confirmed by the team on Tuesday afternoon, noting he will take part in both Indianapolis 500 test days on April 10 and 11. He will be joined by Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, who will take the reins of an Indy car for the first time since testing at Phoenix Raceway in early February.
Malukas is still recovering from a left wrist injury and surgery sustained in a mountain biking accident during the offseason.
Now, his recovery timeline now extending at least beyond the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 21.
Ilott, who made 36 starts in North America’s premier open-wheel championship for Juncos Hollinger Racing from 2021-23, was called upon to substitute for Malukas to start the 2024 IndyCar Series season. Last month on the the Streets of St. Petersburg, Ilott stayed out of trouble and qualified 16th before going on to finish 13th. At the most recent non-points round at The Thermal Club last month, he was running in a transfer spot in the second heat before fading to ninth, missing out on advancing into the final by three spots.
While Arrow McLaren have been dependent on Ilott while Malukas recovers on the sidelines, the team won’t be able to rely on him for the Streets of Long Beach. Ilott will be unavailable due to a conflict with the World Endurance Championship, with a previous commitment to race in the Six Hours of Imola behind the wheel of Team Jota’s Porsche 963.
With that in mind, Arrow McLaren further said via a statement that “the team is evaluating other options and will announce the No. 6 driver for Long Beach in due course.”
