The 25-year-old Briton has been known as in to drive Arrow McLaren’s No. 6 Chevrolet for the IndyCar Sequence season opener whereas David Malukas continues to get better from an injured left wrist that required surgical procedure.
The journey up to now has been an attention-grabbing one for Ilott. He made 36 IndyCar begins with Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) during the last three seasons, together with 5 top-10 finishes that was highlighted with a career- and team-best fifth (twice – St. Petersburg, Laguna Seca) in 2023. That enterprise got here after a short spell with Method 1 packages as a check driver for Ferrari and a reserve driver for Alfa Romeo (now Sauber) in 2021.
Regardless of the promise proven on monitor over the previous few years, Ilott was left and not using a full-time experience in IndyCar for 2024 and compelled to hunt different alternatives. Finally, he ended up within the FIA World Endurance Championship driving for Jota Sport within the Hypercar class, the place he’s contemporary of a podium consequence within the season-opening spherical at Qatar final Saturday in its Porsche 963.
“I felt that perhaps it was barely untimely, what occurred finish of final yr,” Ilott stated, relating to his time with JHR.
“It is life, and it’s important to discover the most effective state of affairs for your self and work with that, and to be honest, I am very lucky to be in an excellent aggressive seat with Hertz Workforce Jota and hit the bottom operating on that, and we’re second within the championship, World Endurance Championship, right away, which is nice, after which to get the ball rolling within the first weekend of IndyCar with Arrow McLaren, I am unable to complain.”
Uniquely, although, the strategic alliance shaped between Arrow McLaren and JHR is a big a part of what made this a comparatively easy course of for all concerned.
“Yeah, so when there’s, let’s say, some shifts out there, clearly I had some contact with Zak (Brown, McLaren CEO) to see what was occurring,” Ilott stated.
“There was the understood type of growth of a partnership between Juncos, and at that time it appeared fairly smart to maintain issues because it was. So, I had that communication established, which is why I feel it was fairly straightforward to get the ball rolling to do St. Pete a few weeks in the past.”
The assorted challenges of touring throughout the Atlantic Ocean attributable to WEC obligations have made time with Arrow McLaren minimal for Ilott. Nevertheless, he was in a position to get some courtesy of a pre-season check at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Though the sources, personnel and staff measurement are considerably deeper at Arrow McLaren in comparison with JHR, he’s nonetheless attempting studying what the dimensions of the hole is between the 2 organizations.
“To be sincere, it is a bit of a discovery course of as a result of clearly I did the hybrid check, however I’ve solely been within the store for one or two days now,” Ilott stated.
“The scale of the staff clearly is bigger and extra years of expertise inside the collection, however I am unable to actually touch upon that till through the race weekend and experiencing it on that aspect of a full scale. Clearly, it is nice. The preparation is sweet despite the fact that I’ve needed to be in Qatar and full deal with that. However now it is clearly full deal with St. Pete.
“That is growing and ramping up, and I am excited to see what the total scale of the operation is.”
Contemplating additionally that this weekend’s team-mate, Pato O’Ward, almost received this identical race final yr, what are Ilott’s expectations getting into the 1.8-mile, 14-turn short-term road circuit?
“It is a brand-new yr for everybody, so after all you do not know precisely the place to begin off,” Ilott stated.
“However within the historical past of Arrow McLaren, they’ve all the time been very, very sturdy, and St. Pete final yr was additionally very sturdy.
“Yeah, assume there’s all the chance to do a superb job, however my focus on the finish of the day is filling in and doing a stable job and leaving the weekend with no complaints. If I could be quick and up there, nice. If I can end the race and get some good factors for them, that is additionally the purpose.
“Let’s have a look at the place it goes into FP1, qualifying, after which the race.”
Whereas any future probabilities in IndyCar this yr are past Ilott’s management, there’s a thought to the variety of races he can realistically deal with with out impeding his present commitments in WEC, which incorporates the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“You already know, I do not need to get in the best way of something,” Ilott stated.
“There’s a variety of preparation up till Le Mans, and I feel we now have another assessments perhaps earlier than COTA (Circuit of The Americas) afterward within the yr.
“After all, it is handy that the collection solely has seven or eight races, so it is not too strenuous on that aspect. It is simply a variety of journey. I feel the calculation I did at the start of the yr was the likelihood to make 11 or 12 IndyCar races if I needed to. After all, that is a variety of touring for me to do.
“I am simply going to see what’s handy on that aspect. If I’ve to do 11, 12, that is what I will should do. If I can handle with three, 4, 5, that is what I will do, as properly. I am simply enjoying it by ear. I do not assume I anticipated to go to St. Pete a few month in the past, so now that is occurring, and I am unable to complain.”
