David Malukas was released by Arrow McLaren on Monday without running an IndyCar race for the team because of injuries the 22-year-old suffered in an offseason mountain biking crash.
Malukas was signed in September to the three-car IndyCar team when McLaren was in a late scramble to fill a seat because two-time series champion Alex Palou breached his contract and declined to join the team as planned in 2024.
The job suddenly fell to Malukas, who was still looking for a confirmed third season in IndyCar. Although he's done all the social media and marketing McLaren asked of him, he dislocated his wrist and tore tendons when he crashed on his mountain bike one month before the season-opening race.
The team believed the Feb. 11 accident would cost Malukas two races. But when he could not compete Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, it was his fourth consecutive missed race and triggered a clause in his contract that allowed McLaren to terminate the deal.
McLaren said in a statement Malukas has been “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.”
He also couldn't participate in the open test for the Indianapolis 500.
Malukas thanked McLaren for the opportunity, noting his rehab was taking longer than expected.
“The past three months have been challenging. 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," Malukas said. “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.”
McLaren has used Callum Ilott and Theo Pouchaire over the first four races, and the duo could combine to complete the season. Both have superseding commitments in other racing series that prohibit either from joining Pato O'Ward and Alexander Rossi full time.
Ilott moved to 11th in his McLaren debut at St. Petersburg following the disqualification of two Team Penske cars. He didn't advance out of the heat races to compete in the $1 million exhibition race at Thermal.
Pourchaire is the reigning Formula 2 champion and finished 11th in his IndyCar debut at Long Beach and 22nd on Sunday in what was an overall bad day for McLaren. O'Ward was 23rd and Rossi retired with a mechanical problem.
McLaren had hinted that it was running out of time on Malukas during the Long Beach race weekend earlier this month.
“The team has been very supportive of David, but what’s more unfortunate is his injury is much more serious than we thought initially,” McLaren team principal Gavin Ward said over the weekend.
“A big part of our focus has been trying to help him in every way in his recovery, but we’ve also been spending an awful lot of time to make sure we have competitive drivers in the No. 6 car. Unfortunately, it’s just a lot of uncertainty right now,” Ward said. “And we’re having to make difficult decisions. We’re doing our best to try and take care of him, but at the end of the day, we also have to look after the performance of the team.”
Malukas won seven of 20 IndyNXT races with 16 podiums during a fierce 2021 battle for the championship he lost to Kyle Kirkwood. But he earned a seat in the IndyCar Series with Dale Coyne Racing, even though Malukas' ride was largely funded by family money. Driving for an underfunded and small Coyne team, Malukas scored two podiums over two seasons.
He was also fast in the Indianapolis 500 and proved competitive with Team Penske cars each year at Gateway. Even so, he wasn't a candidate for a top ride when he decided he wouldn't return to Coyne in 2024.
That changed in mid-August when McLaren learned Palou had decided to remain at Chip Ganassi Racing and breach his contract with McLaren. The two sides are stuck in an expensive civil lawsuit.
McLaren had few options available so late in free agency and chose Malukas, who won't get a chance to make his debut.
“Every injury is different and every body heals at a different pace,” Malukas said. "I’ll turn my full attention to getting back to 100% and then prove that I am ready and able to compete to win.”
AP IndyCar: https://apnews.com/hub/indycar
FILE - Alfa Romeo test driver Theo Pourchaire, of France, drives during a practice session for the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in Austin, Texas. Pourchaire faces a new challenge after his IndyCar debut in going from the streets of Long Beach to the road course at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. The 20-year old Frenchman, who is the reigning Formula 2 champion, gets his second turn racing for injured Arrow McLaren driver David Malukas on Sunday. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
FILE - David Malukas sits in a safety truck after escaping his car that caught fire during the Music City Grand Prix auto race Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. David Malukas was released by Arrow McLaren on Monday, April 29, 2024, without ever running an IndyCar race for the team because of injuries the 22-year-old suffered in an offseason mountain biking crash. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - David Malukas prepares before the start of an IndyCar auto race at World Wide Technology Raceway, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023, in Madison, Ill. David Malukas was released by Arrow McLaren on Monday, April 29, 2024, without ever running an IndyCar race for the team because of injuries the 22-year-old suffered in an offseason mountain biking crash. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
