Written by Jake O’Callaghan, Edited by Archie O’Reilly
Juncos Hollinger Racing announced today that Callum Ilott has departed the team by mutual agreement. Ilott drove for Juncos in the 2022 and 2023 IndyCar seasons, earning the drive after an impressive feeder series CV, including the accolade of 2020 Formula 2 Vice-Champion.
Team owner Ricardo Juncos made the following statement: "While it is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to Callum Ilott, I would like to express my gratitude to Callum for all of his efforts during his time with our team, and we deeply appreciate his contributions.”
Ilott had an impressive sophomore season at the Argentine-American outfit, recording two top fives and an impressive run at the Indy 500, where after a difficult practice and qualifying that showed his car was hugely off the pace, his team decided to change to a back-up chassis, he then went on to finish 12th.
But Ilott was also subjected to immense amounts of scrutiny. After a few close run-ins with his teammate Agustin Canapino, in both Long Beach and Laguna Seca, Ilott received a large amount of online abuse that forced both his team and IndyCar to make statements condemning it. Team boss Ricardo Juncos was also critical of some of his decisions on-track this year.
“I want to extend my gratitude to Juncos Hollinger Racing for the opportunity to be part of their team," Ilott said in his own statement. "I have immense respect for the organization, and our time together has been a valuable experience. I look forward to exploring new opportunities and challenges in my racing career."
Team co-owner Brad Hollinger stated: “While we bid farewell to Callum as a driver for Juncos Hollinger Racing, we wish him every success in his next chapter. We have no doubt that his talent and determination will continue to shine.”
Juncos had signed Ilott to a “long-term” deal in July 2022, however it seems that an option to end that contract early has been triggered. The team announced earlier this month that Argentine driver Agustin Canapino would return to the team in 2024, and the team said that it will announce its full driver lineup in due course.
For Ilott, there are now limited open seats for 2024 as teams try to secure their lineups in plenty of time ahead of the new campaign.
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