Yahoo Autos Ilott expected to remain in Malukas’ McLaren seat for Indy Open Test
Callum Ilott’s substitution tour with Arrow McLaren is expected to continue on Wednesday and Thursday in what would be his fifth appearance in the No. 6 Chevy.
The Briton would step in again for the injured David Malukas at the two-day Indy Open Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the only pre-event test for the Indy 500 – as Malukas continues to recover from surgery to the wrist and hand injuries suffered during pre-season training in February.
Ilott would rejoin teammates Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, and IndyCar rookie Kyle Larson; with rain in the forecast for both days, and no plans by IndyCar to run on Friday, it’s unclear how much action he and the other drivers in attendance will see around the 2.5-mile oval.
Having subbed for Malukas at a hybrid engine test, a group test at Barber Motorsports Park, at the first race of the year at St. Petersburg, and at the recent $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club, Ilott has become a familiar presence within the team.
The Indy Open Test, however, would mark Ilott’s last stand-in opportunity for the time being as the next race on the calendar on April 19-21 at Long Beach clashes with his full-season role driving for Hertz Team Jota in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
For Arrow McLaren, the obvious hope is to have Malukas back for Long Beach, which leads into a busy stretch of racing as the Barber race follows the next weekend and then the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If Malukas is able to start his championship run at Long Beach, the disruption due to injury will be kept to a minimum thanks to the Thermal event being a non-points exhibition.
But if he’s unable to go on the Southern Californian streets and the physically grueling road course at Barber in Alabama, Arrow McLaren would need to find another driver to keep the No. 6 Chevy in motion for those races, and any hope of achieving a meaningful result in the Drivers’ championship would be lost for Malukas.
