Britain’s Callum Ilott will compete for McLaren at the Indy 500 this year, presenting his best shot yet for a win at the Brickyard. The driver is already on a roll having secured his first overall victory in the World Endurance Championship at the Spa Six Hours last weekend, competing for the British Jota team running the Porsche 963 in the top hypercar category.
The 108th running of the 500 will take place on 26 May and while the 25-year-old has competed in it twice before this will be his first with the Arrow McLaren team which is expected to be very much in contention for the win, having fought for it last year.
Ilott previously competed in 2022 with Juncos Hollinger Racing, who were returning to the race for the first time since 2019 and he crashed out at his first attempt. The following year, with more experience, he moved from 27th on the grid to finish 12th and there is expectation of more at his third attempt.
He has deputised for McLaren in IndyCar twice this season for the injured David Malukas and the McLaren IndyCar team principal, Gavin Ward, believed he would deliver a strong performance.
“Callum brings experience with this team and at the Indy 500 that we think is very valuable,” he said. “I’m confident that Callum and the No 6 team will be competing near the front of the grid during qualifying and on race day.”
Ilott’s win in Spa, shared with the British former F1 driver Will Stevens, was notable on several levels. Jota are the first privateer team to win against the factory outfits in the WEC and the first British team to win a race in the 12 years the championship has been running. Illot and Stevens now lie second in the championship behind the three Porsche factory drivers.
