Coming off his runner-up finish in his World Endurance Championship debut in Qatar over the weekend, Callum Ilott will replace the injured David Malukas in Arrow McLaren's No. 6 Chevy in the IndyCar season-opener at St. Pete, the team confirmed Tuesday.

The move, expected for weeks since Ilott was selected to fill Malukas' role in a manufacturer hybrid test in late-February, gives the young British driver a tryout of sorts with Arrow McLaren, who could be looking for as many as two drivers on the free agent market this coming offseason. A year ago, Ilott logged his first career IndyCar top-5 on the streets of St. Pete in a promising start for his newly expanded two-car Juncos Hollinger Racing program. But after a rocky middle and end of the season internally, the sides opted to go their separate ways in October, leaving Ilott with no high-level IndyCar rides to pursue.

Ilott instead turned his focus to sportscars, landing a deal with Hertz Team Jota in their Porsche 963 Hypercar, while planning to make himself a regular fixture at most IndyCar race weekends in hopes of securing a ride with a top-level team for 2025. Having already strongly considered him as an option to replace Alex Palou, before JHR's lengthy team option on Ilott got in the way, Arrow McLaren officials and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown will be keen to see how the 25-year-old British driver handles the opportunity in a potential race-winning car for the first time.

Ilott temporarily replaces Malukas, who just under a month ago dislocated his left wrist and tore multiple ligaments mountain biking during a weekend out west Feb. 10-11. He underwent surgery Feb. 13 to repair the damage, and the team said at the time that his estimated recovery window would be six weeks from the removal of his stitches Feb. 22. The timeline is also set to keep the 22-year-old sidelined for the $1 Million Challenge weekend at The Thermal Club March 22-24, which Ilott's sportscar schedule would also allow him to attend.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar: Callum Ilott confirmed to race for injured David Malukas at St. Pete