The 21-year-old Chicago-born American-Lithuanian has spent the past two years at Dale Coyne Racing with HMD, earning two podiums ahead of this weekend’s season finale at Laguna Seca.
Malukas is set to drive Arrow McLaren’s Chevrolet-powered #6 entry, completing its line-up alongside Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi.
Palou was expected to join the team for 2024, but he made a U-turn to stay with Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar – citing the lack of a guaranteed F1 race seat opportunity, along with his age - which has sparked legal action from McLaren Racing.
That opened up the opportunity for Malukas to join the outfit, as Felix Rosenqvist exits McLaren's #6 car to join Meyer Shank Racing next season.
“I can’t wait to race in papaya next season,” Malukas said. “Arrow McLaren has been a threat to the top contenders all season long, and I’m excited join the team and see what their Chevrolets can do.
“Pato and Alexander both know what it takes to win, so it will be fun racing alongside them and learning from them as well.”
Malukas becomes the first driver signed to the squad under the rule of its racing director Gavin Ward, who took on the role last December after joining the team in July 2022.
"We’ve been extremely impressed with how quickly David has gotten up to speed in the IndyCar Series,” Ward said. “At 21, he’s already one of the strongest oval racers in the field and his competitiveness on road and street courses has been steadily improving.
“That speed combined with an excellent attitude and work ethic makes us thrilled to have him join the team.”
A multi-time karting champion, Malukas came to North America’s premier open-wheel championship through Indy NXT, finishing second to two-time IndyCar race winner Kyle Kirkwood in 2021 with a series record of 16 podiums.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown added: “David is an up and comer in the IndyCar Series, and based on what we’ve seen from him so far in his first two seasons, I’m confident there’s a lot of talent we can extract from him through the resources we have at Arrow McLaren.
“Beyond what he can do on a racetrack, he’s got a great personality and we’re excited to welcome him to the McLaren Racing family.”
