Arrow McLaren has terminated the services of David Malukas, a young American driver who was due to ride for the team in 2024 but suffered a wrist injury in a mountain bike fall in mid-February.
He had to urgently look for a replacement, and in the first two races he was replaced by Callum Ilott, and in the 3rd and 4th stages of the season by Theo Pourcher.
The reason why the contract with Malukas was terminated is clear. According to a press release from Arrow McLaren, this was because “he will not be able to complete the full season and a return date has not yet been confirmed.”
David underwent surgery, but the recovery period from the injury is still ongoing, the return date has not yet been set, while the team has to make plans for at least the remaining races of the season, arrange relations with sponsors, etc. .
“The past three months have been difficult,” Malukas admitted in a statement. “I thought it was an honor to drive for Arrow McLaren and I regret that this never happened. I would like to continue representing this team and its partners. We have had a good relationship and I appreciate what they have done for me.
I am doing everything I can to speed up the rehabilitation process, but the recovery has taken longer than expected. Every injury has its own characteristics, every body recovers at its own pace. “I plan to fully concentrate on getting back to 100 percent fitness, after which I will try to prove that I am ready and able to win again.”
Arrow McLaren has not yet announced the names of the drivers who will appear in two May stages, which will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – on May 11 there will be a road race and on May 26 – the classic Indy 500 race. Presumably the team will continue to work with Ilott for the time being. However, his main work this year is related to another championship: with the WEC, where he competes for the Jota team in the Hypercar category and drives a Porsche 963 sports prototype.
Consequently, he will still have to look for a replacement as the calendars of the two series overlap and the dates of some stages coincide. The first overlap will take place in May: on the same weekend that IndyCar hosts the Indianapolis Grand Prix, the WEC will host the 6 Hours of Spa.
Then such overlays will continue, and they will mainly affect the podiums on ovals. And Theo Pourcher, who spent his first two IndyCar races behind the wheel of an Arrow McLaren in April, has no experience at all on oval circuits. However, if the team is interested in his further services, they can organize special tests for him so that the Frenchman can gain access to such stages.
However, there are also other options and the choice that Arrow McLaren will ultimately make will be announced fairly soon.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
