Qualifying is over for the eighth round of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season and Alex Palou has put his Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda on pole position. We spoke to his nearest challenger, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, who earned his best qualifying …
Qualifying is over for the eighth round of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season and Alex Palou has put his Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda on pole position. We spoke to his nearest challenger, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, who earned his best qualifying position of the year, and also caught up with David Malukas, who has returned to the series and impressed the Meyer Shank Racing team with 12th on the grid, despite still recovering from his preseason wrist injury.
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Mike Shank’s most successful days as an IndyCar entrant came with a single-car operation built around Jack Harvey. The Briton placed 13th in the 2021 IndyCar championship before leaving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and in the seasons that …
Mike Shank’s most successful days as an IndyCar entrant came with a single-car operation built around Jack Harvey. The Briton placed 13th in the 2021 IndyCar championship before leaving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and in the seasons that have followed, the team has been searching for the same kind of output – but better – in an expanded program.
With co-owner Jim Meyer added to the Ohio-based team in 2018, Meyer Shank Racing has grown in every way, including the shift to a second full-time car in 2022 and rebooting with a pair of Indy 500-winning veterans in Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud. But the big results they were chasing as a two-car outfit were elusive as Pagenaud’s run to 15th in the standings was the best result for MSR across 2022-2023.
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The need for greater output led to another reboot during the offseason with the signing of Felix Rosenqvist from Arrow McLaren and the elevation of MSR’s IMSA prototype champion Tom Blomqvist to the Nos. 60 and 66 entries, and on Rosenqvist’s side, the potential was immediately shown.
Although the last few races haven’t been exceptionally kind, the Swede enters this weekend’s race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca holding 10th in the championship thanks to six top 10s from eight events. And in the sister No. 66 Honda, Rosenqvist has new teammate David Malukas – his replacement at Arrow McLaren – arriving to contest his first race for MSR and first of the year after being sidelined due to an injury as the team conducts a mid-season reboot with the Illinois native after recently parking Blomqvist.
Pulling Blomqvist from the car was an aggressive move which spoke to the pressure the team is under to deliver immediate results for its sponsors. Although Blomqvist won’t be returning to IndyCar for MSR, he remains a part of the team’s long-term plans as it prepares to relaunch its IMSA GTP effort in 2025, and with the door wide open for Malukas to stake his claim in the No. 66, Shank says he’s already been impressed with the 22-year-old after he was instantly fast during last week’s hybrid engine test on the Milwaukee oval.
“To be honest with you, I’d say he was even better than I thought he’d be,” Shank told RACER. “Wow. I mean, he got in immediately and was right there. Even in those little mock races IndyCar had us doing, he got a little racy, passed (RLL’s Christian) Lundgaard pretty aggressively into Turn 1 and that was really good.
Malukas made his debut behind the wheel for MSR at the recent Open Test at the Milwaukee Mile. Chris Jones/IMS Photo
“We didn’t want him to crash it, but he needed to go out and rub some elbows in this group because it’s getting more and more aggressive. And he needs to show that he’s not gonna get pushed around. Now, his ability to read the car on an oval, he’s really good. It’s going to be up to us to give him a car that’s capable, because you know how much the car is a part of the oval. So I’m optimistic about what we’ve got here with David.”
Six of the 10 races left to run in the championship are on ovals, which plays to the skills Malukas demonstrated during his rookie and sophomore IndyCar seasons with Dale Coyne Racing. The true challenge for him starts on the Laguna Seca road course and its new high-grip pavement which will put his recovering left hand and wrist through hell as he fights to turn the heavily-downforced car 11 times per lap. Shank knows he’ll have to set expectations for his new driver a bit lower than desired this weekend and likely at the next race at the Mid-Ohio road course in early July.
“I think he’s gonna have his hands full for Laguna,” he said. “It’s gonna be hard for his wrist to keep up with the reaction he’s gonna need to have. But I’ve given him a good leash. He doesn’t have to be perfect. He doesn’t have to be P1, I just need P17 or better. That’s all I need, and a progression of improvement, that’s all. With that, I’ll be totally happy.”
For a boisterous team like MSR which mirrors Shank’s personality, a quirky character like Malukas might not have been an instant fit for its chemistry, but through his visits to the shop and during the time spent with the team observing at Road America and testing in Milwaukee, a bond has already grown.
“For one thing, he’s a quiet guy, but not it’s a weird dynamic,” Shank said. “He comes across as kind of being quiet and quirky, but he knows what he wants. He asked for what he wanted from the car, and he listened when he needed to, listened to Helio or anyone else offering advice. He was quick to take instruction from Barry Waddell, who spots and does driver coaching. David was all over it. He’s happy to have it and was very calm in the car. I would say we were more rattled than he was at the beginning, because the car wasn’t working right at first.
“He just handled it really well. Where in my head I would have been spinning, he’s very cool. And I told his dad, our engineers like working with him. Listen, we’re really optimistic that he can make the most out of this. For both sides, we need him to do well. We need that car to get out of the slump it’s in.”
David Malukas will make his return to racing later this month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as the driver of Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66 Honda. The Illinois native, who injured his left hand and wrist in a pre-season cycling crash, will …
David Malukas will make his return to racing later this month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as the driver of Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66 Honda. The Illinois native, who injured his left hand and wrist in a pre-season cycling crash, will complete the season in the car after MSR parked rookie Tom Blomqvist.
“This whole process has been extremely difficult on myself and (team co-owner) Jim Meyer,” said Mike Shank. “There were so many things for us to consider as we need to do everything we can to make up ground in the championship and Leader Circle standings. We are pleased to have David Malukas join us as he has both experience and potential and we are looking forward to having him start with us in Milwaukee for the test and then go racing with him at Laguna.”
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Malukas’ first post-crash test run will come on Tuesday as the NTT IndyCar Series hosts the entire field for a hybrid test at the Milwaukee Mile.
“Despite setbacks earlier this year, I have been diligently focusing on my recovery, putting in the necessary effort and dedication to get back to peak condition,” Malukas said. “I am ready and excited to be back in the car, aiming to make the most of this chance and deliver strong performances for the team and our supporters. This opportunity means a great deal to me, and I am determined to repay the faith shown in me with my best efforts on the track.”
Blomqvist is tipped to return next season as the lead driver in MSR’s yet-to-be-announced return to IMSA in the hybrid GTP class with Acura, reprising his role from 2022-23.
How does qualifying work at the Indy 500? We got some help with answers from David Malukas on the morning of IndyCar Qualifications – Day 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Presented by RACER’s Indy 500 Trackside Report is presented by The …
How does qualifying work at the Indy 500? We got some help with answers from David Malukas on the morning of IndyCar Qualifications – Day 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Arrow McLaren announced that is has released David Malukas from his contract in the NTT IndyCar Series.
[autotag]Arrow McLaren[/autotag] made a shocking statement on Monday morning that shook the NTT IndyCar Series world. The organization announced that it has released [autotag]David Malukas[/autotag] from his contract for the remainder of the 2024 season. This comes as Malukas missed four races to start the 2024 season after sustaining a left wrist injury in early February.
Malukas’ timeline for a return remains unclear as he continues to heal from his left wrist injury. After moving over from Dale Coyne Racing, he was supposed to make his Arrow McLaren debut alongside Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi for the 2024 season. Instead, Callum Ilott and Théo Pourchaire have driven the entry to start the year.
Arrow McLaren announces the team has released David Malukas for the remainder of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
Full team statement:
— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) April 29, 2024
Arrow McLaren is currently working on the entry’s plans for the coming months. It’s unclear if there will be one driver or several, with an opening for the Indianapolis 500 now. As for Malukas, he will continue the process toward a full recovery and hope to be back soon. The young driver has potential, and another race team should look into signing him.
Arrow McLaren would love nothing more than for David Malukas to be in the No. 6 Chevy this weekend at Long Beach. And next week at Barber Motorsports Park, and for the month of May at Indianapolis. Like his team, the irreverent 22-year-old from …
Arrow McLaren would love nothing more than for David Malukas to be in the No. 6 Chevy this weekend at Long Beach. And next week at Barber Motorsports Park, and for the month of May at Indianapolis. Like his team, the irreverent 22-year-old from Illinois is also pining to start his season. But the injuries he sustained in his left hand and wrist from a pre-season crash while mountain biking have not been sympathetic to those desires.
Given a six-week recovery period by his doctors after undergoing surgery on February 13 to repair the extensive damage, the process has reached a full eight weeks without crossing the finish line. To the frustration of Malukas, the healing just isn’t happening as swiftly as he’d hoped. Forced to miss his third race weekend of the year, Malukas finds himself in a maddening place where an established timeline to drive the No. 6 Chevy no longer exists.
“It’s taking longer than we wanted, but we’re still doing everything that we can,” Malukas told RACER at Long Beach.
Left to focus on the areas of rehabilitation that will rebuild strength in his arm while isolating the affected areas, Malukas is in a steady cycle of daily physical rehabilitation to prepare himself for an eventual return to action.
“The main goal right now is trying to do every single muscle outside of the wrist. And that’s still an area where we’re having to wait,” he said. “So we’ve been using a BFR (blood flow restriction) cuff which slightly cuts blood flow off on the hand. It’s almost like adding resistance without adding too much weight. It’s very cool. So we’ve been doing that to get bicep and tricep strength back. And obviously, there’s just all these other little muscles; it’s interesting how many muscles there are in the hand.”
He’ll continue undergoing a race-by-race evaluation by IndyCar’s medical team, and while it’s impossible to rule Malukas out from any upcoming event, the recalcitrant nature of his injury means it won’t come as a surprise if he’s sidelined for at least another month, which would encroach on his ability to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
Still, there’s optimism for his future at Arrow McLaren; as soon as Malukas is ready to climb in and attack without limitations, he’ll pick up where temporary replacements Callum Ilott and Theo Pourchaire leave off.
“That’s not a question. David is under contract. He’s our choice. He was supposed to be in the car for Race 1,” said a matter-of-fact Tony Kanaan, Arrow McLaren’s sporting director.
Malukas has a solid routine in place to manage the physical side of what’s needed to get back to racing. Handling the mental and emotional side, with the constant race-by-race hope to participate in his first race for Arrow McLaren — nearly nine months after he signed to drive for the team — has been the hardest part to handle.
“Obviously, there’s been moments up and downwards, and we wanted it to be a bit quicker, so mentally, it’s a little bit tough,” he said. “But the team has been amazing. Everybody’s super supportive and on my side, so it makes me feel a lot better.”
Tony Kanaan knows all too well what Malukas is going through. Gavin Baker/Lumen
On Arrow McLaren’s side, the Gavin Ward-led team is taking every measure that’s available to help Malukas because it wants him to join teammates Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in the roster spot he was given.
Kanaan is responsible for handling Arrow McLaren’s drivers, and with the need to prepare for two eventualities at each race — where backup drivers are being put on standby for the next for the rest of April and May — he’s also charged with keeping Malukas’s mental state in the right place as they wait for his wrist and hand to mend.
“The biggest issue right now is we need to take care of David. I’ve been through this, unfortunately,” said Kanaan, whose career was paused more than once due to injury. “We need to take care of David’s head to focus on: ‘You just need to get better.’ Now, the uncertainty? Nobody — none of the doctors, nobody — knows when that’s gonna happen. The timeline, it’s something that we all are searching for.
“Because as a driver, you’re looking for the deadline, you’re looking for the last lap, you’re looking to the fastest recovery. We’re a different breed. And then when somebody explains to you that it might take longer…that is what I’m balancing with David. I said, ‘Don’t set the timeline in your head. Don’t let that affect you. Let it be clear. All you need to do right now is ask yourself what you can do to be better.’”
Over the last two months since the accident and surgery took place, Kanaan has become like a big brother to Malukas.
“We’re actually having our physio guy spending 80 percent of his time with David,” Kanaan added. “I’m going to the doctor’s appointments with him; I’m driving him there. I went to my place, got a full sim rig, put it in my truck and drove it to his house so he can have one to use. We’re doing everything we can.”
And there’s the tough reality Malukas has been presented with that Kanaan is having to handle.
It’s only natural for Malukas to feel exposed while he sits and watches other drivers pilot the car he’s meant to represent for Arrow McLaren. Malukas isn’t at risk of losing his seat, but at the same time, there’s also the potential for a strange and uncomfortable decision to make if an Ilott or a Pourchaire puts in a star performance or wins a race.
Having to watch Theo Pourchaire in the Arrow McLaren Chevrolet he should be driving brings adds to the challenge facing Malukas. Michael Levitt/Lumen
With sponsors to service and represent to the best of their ability with the No. 6 Chevy, there’s the unflinching need to always do what’s best for those who make fielding the car possible.
Kanaan cites his friend Helio Castroneves, the four-time Indy 500 winner, whose trial for tax evasion in the late 2000s made it impossible to drive; his boss Roger Penske hired an out-of-work Will Power to fill in and he was soon hired for a full-time role. Power’s been with Penske ever since and has gone on to win Indy and two championships since 2009.
“You’ve got to think about the message you’re sending to the team, right?” Kanaan said. “We’re supporting David. At the same time, I can’t leave a car without a driver. Every race car driver, the first fear when you get hurt is you want to get back into the car because you love what you do, but the first priority is because you don’t want anybody else driving it, because one race can change your life. Helio was about to go to jail, they put Power in the car, Power won the race. Luckily, Penske could run both of them (when Castroneves was done with the trial). Otherwise, Helio was gonna be out.
“This is all caused by the uncertainty of the injury. The whole explanation is, we’re behind him. But every time we put somebody in that car, it is a risk. Not that we’re gonna kick him out, but it will be a discussion. But he’s in the shop every day. He’s part of this team. You can see on social media, he’s in almost every post. There is no more we can do for him. Now, things that we can’t control are happening but we still need to run the car as best as we can.”
Kanaan closed the conversation by reiterating Arrow McLaren’s central position on the Malukas situation. The odds of seeing him race anytime soon are slim, but everyone is committed to making it come to fruition.
“If people think we’re making it a mystery with who we put in the car each time, well, not really,” he said. “We need to get ahead of the game, so we did bring Theo in two weeks ago. And Theo is in the car because Callum is racing in WEC this weekend, otherwise he would have been driving. We don’t want to keep doing these changes; we’re not testing drivers. We’re actually just filling the gap the best we can while waiting for David to come back.
“I told him, ‘Your biggest challenge will be when you think you’re ready. But we need to evaluate how ready you are. Because for you to come back too soon and run 20th is going to do you more harm. But we’re behind you.’”
Reigning Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut this weekend at Long Beach with Arrow McLaren as the latest stand-in for the injured David Malukas. “This is an amazing opportunity to drive with such a legendary …
Reigning Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire will make his NTT IndyCar Series debut this weekend at Long Beach with Arrow McLaren as the latest stand-in for the injured David Malukas.
“This is an amazing opportunity to drive with such a legendary team in a legendary motorsport series like the NTT IndyCar Series,” Pourchaire said. “I’ve watched IndyCar since I was a young kid, and the racing is incredible. I was thrilled to get the call from the team. I’m grateful [they] thought of me for this opportunity and for the team at Sauber to allow me to get on track at Long Beach. I am also sorry that the opportunity came as David continues to recover. It’s not going to be an easy task, but I’m ready for it.”
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Although a six-week recovery window was expected to have Malukas ready to race at Long Beach, the healing process has not gone as swiftly as desired following the February 13 surgery he underwent to repair wrist and hand damage suffered in a biking accident. Malukas’s return is being evaluated on a race-by-race basis.
Former Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Callum Ilott has covered all of the tests and races in the No. 6 since Malukas was hurt, but with an FIA World Endurance Championship conflict taking priority over Long Beach, Arrow McLaren brought Pourchaire in as a fallback plan if Malukas was unable to drive on the legendary Southern California street course.
The Frenchman is set to wield the No. 6 Chevy and join Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in his first big opportunity since clinching the title in Formula 1’s top development series. Despite winning the 2023 F2 crown, the 20-year-old has followed a familiar path as no opportunities to race in F1 followed his achievement.
Signed as a test and reserve driver for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, Pourchaire’s main program is Japan’s Super Formula series, where he’s signed to compete in the nine-race championship for Itochu Enex Team Impul. With back-to-back IndyCar events as the series heads straight to Alabama for the April 26-28 Barber Motorsports Park race, Arrow McLaren could have a need to retain Pourchaire for his second consecutive outing, or bring in Ilott, if Malukas is unable drive.
“It’s a shame that David’s recovery is longer than we all originally anticipated,” said team principal Gavin Ward. “He’s been working with our team trainer very closely with what rehab and strength exercises are possible at this point, and the team’s been doing a great job in the meantime to work together through the changes they’ve had since his injury.
“Theo may be an unexpected driver in the NTT IndyCar Series paddock this season, but we’re excited to see what he can do on the track in Long Beach and are thankful for Sauber in working with us to make it happen. He has a strong résumé, especially for his young age, and he’s eager to work with us and put his driving to the test this weekend.”
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 …
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.
David Malukas doesn’t like watching another person drive his race car, but he’ll need to adjust to that dynamic as the new Arrow McLaren driver will miss not only this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, but also IndyCar’s subsequent …
David Malukas doesn’t like watching another person drive his race car, but he’ll need to adjust to that dynamic as the new Arrow McLaren driver will miss not only this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, but also IndyCar’s subsequent event at The Thermal Club — its non-championship $1 Million Challenge — as he recovers from injuries to his left wrist and fingers suffered during pre-season training.
“Thermal’s definitely going to be a no,” Malukas told RACER. “That’s still going to be in the recovery time, but everything after that is to be determined. Hopefully we can be there by Long Beach.
“I’m doing good. Recovery time is good; I’m on track, I’ve got fingers moving. Everything in the hand is good; it’s just a little bit in the wrist. That’s got to stay stationary. The plan is soon, in the next couple of weeks, I can start moving it.”
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Malukas will be on the timing stand with the No. 6 Chevy team this weekend as his friend Callum Ilott steers the car on his behalf. According to Arrow McLaren, the team will wait until after St. Petersburg to name its driver for the March 22-24 testing and all-star event in Thermal, Calif.
“That is the toughest thing through all of this, seeing somebody else driving your car,” Malukas added. “I love Callum, though. Of all the drivers, Callum was the way to go.”
Arrow McLaren No. 5 Chevy: Pato O’Ward (4th in 2023 championship) No. 6 Chevy: David Malukas (17th in 2023 championship with Dale Coyne Racing) No. 7 Chevy: Alexander Rossi (9th in 2023 championship) THINGS TO KNOW One, two, or three? Arrow McLaren …
Arrow McLaren
No. 5 Chevy: Pato O’Ward (4th in 2023 championship)
No. 6 Chevy: David Malukas (17th in 2023 championship with Dale Coyne Racing)
No. 7 Chevy: Alexander Rossi (9th in 2023 championship)
THINGS TO KNOW
One, two, or three?
Arrow McLaren doesn’t find itself in the same exact position as Andretti Global with needing to break free from its recent mediocrity, but there is a parallel in needing to break free from the vast expanse that separates it from Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske.
As a two-car team, Pato O’Ward was Arrow McLaren’s best and only contender to apply pressure to Ganassi and Penske from 2020-2022, but with the increase to three cars in 2023, his status as Arrow McLaren’s lone title challenger remained unchanged.
Bringing Alexander Rossi on board last year to join O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist was done with the expectation for the Indianapolis 500 winner to provide the team with a stronger presence towards the front of the field—to give O’Ward another running partner—and give Arrow McLaren at least a dual threat at every round like Ganassi has with Scott Dixon and Alex Palou and Penske has with Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin. But that didn’t happen.
That’s the main mission for the team to establish in 2024. Although O’Ward went winless last season, he lived on the podium, and through those seven top threes, he was able to shadow the two top teams. The outgoing Rosenqvist took two poles and made two trips to the podium while Rossi made one trip to the podium, which is where the disparity is most readily identified.
For Arrow McLaren to shorten or erase the gap to Ganassi and Penske, getting back to victory lane with O’Ward and dialing up the podiums for Rossi — and resuming his winning ways — is a must. At least two of its cars have to be in the hunt wherever they race if Arrow McLaren is going to bridge that championship gap because their rivals are too strong for O’Ward to get the job done without help.
For the team to truly contend, it will need most of its cars near the front, taking valuable points that would otherwise be earned by their rivals, and making it a three-way attack with the entry meant to be piloted by the injured David Malukas would be a wonderful development for Arrow McLaren as a whole.
Titles are won as a team. How will this squad fare in that unwavering challenge?
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LFGOOOOO time for Pato
The quality of Arrow McLaren’s championship competitiveness lives and dies with O’Ward. Separate from their squad goals, the 24-year-old Mexican is the team’s fastest and fiercest driver, and on an individual level, he’s also entering a crucial phase of his career.
Like his Indy Lights teammate Colton Herta, O’Ward’s been a force in the championship for most of his time in IndyCar, but small issues have kept him from breaking through to lead the standings for significant lengths of time. Streaking away from pole and building a huge lead has been impressive, but the accelerated tire wear awaiting O’Ward on the second half of a stint has turned a few too many big results into lesser ones. Looking at the task ahead, the burning motivation to prove he’s faster than everyone must be left in the past.
This is the year where he needs to find and strike the balance between attacking and conserving because that’s how IndyCar championships are won. That’s the formula all of the most recent title winners have used to such great effect, and in 2024, that’s precisely what O’Ward needs to deliver if he’s going to take that final step to reach his full potential.
With five seasons of experience to draw from — the last four at Arrow McLaren — the spotlight if firmly placed on O’Ward to take the team to the promised land, and that will only happen if he’s locked into a ‘big picture’ mindset from the first race.
Nobody would accuse Ganassi’s Alex Palou of being IndyCar’s fastest pilot, but he’s already a two-time champion who is of a similar age to O’Ward and entered the series as a full-timer in the same season. If there’s a blueprint for him to follow in this quest, it’s Palou. (And we’ll leave the topic of Palou almost becoming his teammate alone for now…)
One can’t say O’Ward’s eyes aren’t on the prize, but he’s Arrow McLaren’s longest-serving driver and that brings with it a level of pressure most others won’t have. Motorsport Images
It’s a lot to ask of any driver, but he and the team can’t afford to stay in that second-best category any longer. A new contract extension speaks to the faith Arrow McLaren has in O’Ward, and no team spends more on its program—including its engineering resources—than this one. The weight of expectations on its lead driver cannot be underestimated.
The old line about extreme pressure either bursting pipes or making diamonds comes to mind here for O’Ward. If he’s fortunate, Rossi and Malukas will take away some of that pressure by joining him in the thick of the action.
The days of Arrow McLaren being happy with coming close to the championship heavyweights are officially over and IndyCar’s most popular driver is the one carrying all of the team’s hopes to deliver.
Engineering shuffle
Arrow McLaren lost one of its greatest engineering minds in Craig Hampson shortly after the last season concluded. He was specifically targeted by Rossi as the engineer he wanted to work with upon joining the team, but it only lasted one year when Hampson decided he needed a break from the sport.
In his place, team veteran Chris Lawrence, Rosenqvist’s race engineer from 2023, has been moved from the No. 6 car to Rossi’s No. 7, and based on how Rosenqvist raved about all aspects of Lawrence’s capabilities, Rossi is in good hands and should be able to take another leap forward with the team.
With Lawrence’s absence creating a vacancy in the No. 6, Arrow McLaren has surfaced a team veteran in Blair Perschbacher, who was Robert Wickens’ race engineer when he blitzed the series as a rookie in 2018, and assigned him to engineer Malukas (and his stand-in) this year. It’s a strong choice, and for Malukas, a calm, process-driven presence on the timing stand should help in his technical development.
New dynamic
O’Ward spent the last few years racing with his best IndyCar friend in Felix Rosenqvist alongside him in the team. They were a great twosome, didn’t let their inner competitiveness get in the way of being each other’s support system, and fit perfectly together within Arrow McLaren, with the Swede being the older and more mature driver in that dynamic.
That level of comfort and camaraderie won’t be the same with Rosenqvist gone to Meyer Shank Racing, but that might be a good thing for O’Ward. Rossi and Malukas are great to have at teammates, and Rossi’s maturity and business-like approach is beloved within the program, but if O’Ward’s going to grow into the true team-wide leader that he needs to be, it’s time—despite his relative youth—to take the reins, fill Rosenqvist’s void, and lead all aspects of the program among Arrow McLaren’s drivers.
It’s another big piece of his development puzzle. O’Ward’s been the de facto leader due to his team-leading speed and results, but that’s altogether different than stepping up to lead from the inside and shape the program in all the ways it needs.
Rossi in a prove-it year
It’s time for Rossi to really show the rest of the field this view. His future depends on it. Josh Tons/Motorsport Images
It wasn’t the easiest year for Rossi as he learned to work with a new team, new teammates, and a new engine partner after spending 2016-2022 with Honda, but on debut, he did match his ninth-place championship run from his final season with Andretti Global. But ninth isn’t what he wanted, nor is it what Arrow McLaren needed because it already had something similar from Rosenqvist.
Beyond all of the points raised so far about the team being under the gun to displace Ganassi and/or Penske in the standings, and for Rossi needing to become a big player in that initiative by shadowing or beating O’Ward on a regular basis, we have the most pressing personal need for Rossi to handle, and that’s to earn a contract extension.
Entering the second of a two-year deal, the last thing Rossi can afford is to find himself four or five positions behind O’Ward after the Indy 500. If, like in 2023, the separation between them is hard to ignore, McLaren won’t be waiting to see how the rest of the season goes before opening talks with potential replacements.
This is a full and undeniable prove-it year for Rossi at Arrow McLaren, and every person within the team is rooting for him to succeed and receive another multi-year contract because he’s loved within the organization for all he brings. Rossi’s contributions in engineering debriefs, to the engine techs at Chevy, to the commercial and marketing side, and for always being an ultra-professional leader within the program are continually hailed as factors that have made him indispensable in just one season.
And with that deep foundation established, all Rossi needs to do is deliver in the same way he did when he placed second and third for Andretti in 2018-2019, respectively. For Rossi, 2024 is going to be a turning point in his career. It’s another instance of busting pipes or making diamonds. Once the season is over, he’ll either be staying with Arrow McLaren and prospering or hunting for a new team home.
Grace
One of the rising mechanical stars within Arrow McLaren is Grace Hackenberg. She’s still somewhat new to IndyCar, but Hackenberg has become a valued member of the pit crew, and this year, she’ll add to the growing ranks of women who go over the pit wall in all the races. Look for Hackenberg changing Rossi’s inside front tire at every round, which is a first for her.
A Malukas mystery to solve
Will the signing of David Malukas turn out to be the smartest out-of-left-field move in Arrow McLaren’s history? He wasn’t on their radar until some of the more established veterans on the free agent market became unavailable, so in the last month of the season, the team took a no-risk decision by bringing in the 22-year-old from Illinois on a prove-it deal of his own.
Malukas dealt with constant change over his two seasons at Dale Coyne Racing, which stunted his development. Even so, he managed to impress on a number of occasions, and especially on the ovals, which is what caught his new team’s attention. At Arrow McLaren, he has all of the personal and professional tools a young driver could want, and it’s here where Malukas can turn those occasional shining moments into more frequent appearances at the sharp end of the field.
In contrast to his teammates who are proven commodities, we just don’t know how high Malukas can rise because he’s entering his first opportunity to fight among the top two or three teams and show everyone what he’s made of. The question to answer is quite basic: What kind of talent does Malukas possess? Pitted against O’Ward, he’ll get an answer, and swiftly. The same goes with Rossi.
Once he’s able to start his season and he’s given a few races to settle in and get a feel for Arrow McLaren’s approach to chassis setup and Chevy’s approach to engine tuning, we’ll know if Malukas has a future with the team.
Based on his time at Coyne, he’s worthy of the chance to complement O’Ward and Rossi, but the same note about Rossi applies here. He wasn’t brought in to finish behind his teammates, and with a couple of really strong free agents for the team to consider for 2025, Malukas does need to stake his claim in the No. 6 or risk being one-and-done with Arrow McLaren.
Ilott looming?
Callum Ilott, who tested in place of Malukas in February, is expected to get the nod to drive the No. 6 at St. Petersburg and possibly more—the Thermal Club event is two weeks later, and there’s a group test at Barber in Alabama right after—that could be questionable for Malukas if he needs more time to heal after wrist surgery.
Make no mistake about Ilott and McLaren; the team is beyond curious to see how he integrates into the program and how he performs alongside its returning drivers. Ilott’s signed to do the full eight-race FIA World Endurance Championship calendar in the Hypercar class, so he does have a few date conflicts with IndyCar, but could be pressed into service by this team or others for more than half of the season if desired.
Only O’Ward is guaranteed to be with Arrow McLaren next year, so getting an early look at Ilott would go a long way to deciding whether he’d get an offer to come back as a full-timer if Rossi or Malukas aren’t kept. Among the other young IndyCar chargers, Rinus VeeKay and Christian Lundgaard are headed towards free agency at the end of the season (if they don’t sign extensions beforehand with their existing teams).
Put it all together and McLaren CEO Zak Brown, sporting director Tony Kanaan, and team principal Gavin Ward have some promising talent to pursue if the No. 6 or No. 7 would benefit from a competitive upgrade.
Pressure: It’s the common influence that links Arrow McLaren’s driving trio in big and vastly different ways in 2024.
Honoring Gil
Arrow McLaren will honor their late and beloved colleague Gil de Ferran on their cars and crew this season. It’s a classy move; along with logos placed on the three cars, look for pit crew members to sport de Ferran stickers on their helmets to pay tribute to the CART champion and Indy 500 winner who helped shape McLaren’s IndyCar and Formula 1 programs before his untimely death in December.
