Arrow McLaren appears to have its preferred substitute driver to replace the recovering David Malukas less than three weeks ahead of the 2024 season-opener on the streets of St. Pete on March 10.

Monday afternoon, the team announced that ex-Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Callum Ilott will take Malukas' place in a test Wednesday on the Homestead road course that Arrow McLaren is conducting as part of IndyCar's ongoing manufacturer testing of its hybrid system. Just over a week ago, Malukas dislocated his left wrist and tore multiple ligaments mountain biking "out west" Feb. 10-11, according to the team. He underwent surgery Feb. 13, and the following morning, the team announced the 22-year-old driver faces an estimated six-week recovery timeline.

Should the timeline hold true, Malukas, who was set to make his team debut at St. Pete as he begins his third IndyCar season, is virtually certain to miss St. Pete and is under serious risk, too, to miss the non-points $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club on March 24. Six weeks from the time of the removal of Malukas's stitches would have the 22-year-old ready to hop back into the cockpit just under a week ahead of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test April 10-11 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and roughly two weeks ahead of the second points-paying race of the 2024 calendar: Long Beach.

Malukas recovery timeline: Arrow McLaren driver likely to miss St. Pete following surgery on dislocated wrist

It's presently unclear whether Ilott will fill-in for Malukas during next week's IndyCar preseason Open Test at Sebring Feb. 26-27, which immediately follows the British driver's two days of duties for the World Endurance Championship Prologue event in Qatar Feb. 24-25. His race the following weekend (March 2) with his Hertz Team Jota Porsche Hypercar program is the last until IndyCar's Long Beach Weekend April 19-21, having all along made him Malukas' likely replacement for IndyCar's first two event weekend's of the year.

In it's Monday release, Arrow McLaren says it continues "considering options" for its Malukas replacement for St. Pete, with plans to be announced "in due course."

"We all wish David a speedy recovery, and we're working out some options with the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew in the meantime," team principal Gavin Ward said in the release. "Callum had a seat fit last week and will test with us in Homestead, and we're looking forward to working with him this week.

"Then, hopefully, we'll be able to confirm our roster for St. Pete soon after."

Said Ilott: "Obviously, I feel sorry for David and the team. It's not easy to be in this position, especially just ahead of the start of the season.

"I wish him the best and a speedy recovery. I'm glad I'm able to help out the team, and it's a privilege to test this week with Arrow McLaren. I'm thankful they're considering me for the opportunity."

Ilott remains far and away the speediest option left on the IndyCar sidelines, having parted ways with JHR, his home of two years, in October after a tense second full-time season in the No. 77 Chevy. He bookended his run to 16th in points -- one spot and one point ahead of Malukas' second and final season with Dale Coyne Racing in 17th -- with a pair of 5th-place finishes to start and end the year. In the middle, he was embroiled in multiple on-track incidents with rookie teammate Agustin Canapino at Long Beach and Laguna Seca that led to fierce online backlash filled with hateful messages and death threats from Canapino's supporters.

$1 million & social media threats: Inside Juncos Hollinger Racing's success, drama

In both instances, JHR took longer than expected to come out with a show of support for Ilott -- the second time with a notably tepid response. The two sides also locked horns in the weeks leading up to the 500, as Ilott dealt with a confusingly slow car and saw his public request for a chassis change fall on deaf ears until less than a day before the start of qualifying.

With only a handful of laps in the brand-new machine, Ilott managed to qualify 27th and finished 12th.

Despite the fallout from Laguna Seca, the ex-Ferrari F1 reserve driver waltzed into the offseason believing he still had a ride with JHR, having been told nothing different by JHR co-owner Ricardo Juncos privately. Publicly, Juncos let it be known immediately after his team's season-finale run-in that he held team options on both drivers well into December and was in need of funding to help retain both. Nearly the entire full-time grid had been confirmed by the time of the pair's surprise split, leaving Ilott, who was considered for the ride Malukas eventually landed, to shift his focus back towards his European roots to find his short-term future.

He's still expected to factor into the upcoming IndyCar silly season, which is likely already in motion behind the scenes.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Callum Ilott subbing for Arrow McLaren's injured David Malukas in Homestead test