Ilott, who made 36 starts in North America’s premier open-wheel championship for Juncos Hollinger Racing from 2021-23, has substituted for Malukas, who continues to recover from surgery to his left wrist after an injury sustained when mountain biking pre-season, since the start of the IndyCar Series season.
On the Streets of St. Petersburg last month, Ilott stayed out of trouble and qualified 16th before finishing 13th while at the most recent event, the non-points round at The Thermal Club, 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.
His continuation in place of Malukas at the Open Test was announced by the team on Tuesday afternoon, noting he will take part on days on 10-11 April. He will join regulars Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi as well as 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.
While Arrow McLaren has been dependent on Ilott’s substitute appearances, the team won’t be able to rely on the British driver if Malukas isn’t cleared for Long Beach. Ilott will be unavailable due to a conflict with the World Endurance Championship, with a commitment to race in the Six Hours of Imola behind the wheel of Team Jota’s Porsche 963.
Addressing this issue, the team’s statement added it was “evaluating other options and will announce the No. 6 driver for Long Beach in due course.”
