The big rumor became a sad reality on Monday when Arrow McLaren officially announced that David Malukas would not be driving for the team. With Malukas still recovering from injuries sustained in an offseason biking accident, team officials did not wish to keep waiting. The contract for Malukas had a team option where he could be released if he missed at least four races, which he now has.

Although the team did not name any replacement driver(s) for the No. 6 Chevrolet, the two in play will be Callum Ilott and Theo Pourchaire. There are seven events that would clash with dates on the FIA World Endurance Championship, but there is a possibility that Ilott could make a full-time return to IndyCar. He should at least be the prime candidate for the seat for the Indianapolis 500 in less than a month.

This news came less than 24 hours after a disastrous race for the team at Barber Motorsports Park. Pourchaire finished 22nd, Pato O’Ward finished 23rd after several on-track incidents, and Alexander Rossi came home 25th after his wheel fell off after a pit stop. The full press release from today is below.

[Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team Press Release]

Arrow McLaren today announced that the team has released David Malukas for the remainder of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season due to him being unavailable for the entirety of the season to date, with no confirmed return date, as a result of a left wrist injury, which occurred February 11, in a mountain biking incident.

The team has raced at four events with two different drivers, both who were new to the team following David’s incident and currently race in other series: Callum Ilott and Théo Pourchaire.

David joined the team in September 2023 and was set to race his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with Arrow McLaren until this wrist injury sidelined him from races in St. Petersburg, The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park.

“The past three months have been challenging,” Malukas said. “I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to drive for Arrow McLaren and regret that it never materialized. I would have loved to have continued representing the team and its partners going forward. They have been good, and I appreciate all they have done for me.”

“I’ve done everything possible to speed up the rehab process—treatments, physiotherapy, strength training—but my recovery has taken longer than anticipated. Every injury is different, and every body heals at a different pace. I’ll turn my full attention to getting back to 100 percent and then prove that I am ready and able to compete to win.”

Arrow McLaren is finalizing its driver assignments for the remainder of the 2024 season and will announce confirmations for upcoming races in due course.