David Malukas will not be able to make his anticipated debut with Arrow McLaren in the IndyCar opener at St Pete next month due to an injury sustained while mountain biking. The 22-year-old underwent surgery on February 13 to repair ligament damage in his left hand. The team has confirmed that he will need six weeks to recover after having his stitches removed on February 22. Based on this timeline, it is estimated that he will be fully recovered by April 4. This means that Malukas will not only miss the St Pete race, but also the non-championship event at the Thermal Club track in late March, which offers a prize of $1 million. However, he is expected to return for the following race at Long Beach on April 19-21. Since the Thermal round is non-championship, Malukas will only miss one points-paying race. The team is currently evaluating its options for a stand-in driver, as they just received news of Malukas’s injury and recovery timeline. Malukas expressed his disappointment about the situation, stating that he feels terrible for the team who worked hard to prepare for their first season together. He is determined to get back on track as soon as possible and is looking forward to racing with the team in papaya. Team principal Gavin Ward expressed his sympathy for Malukas and the entire team, emphasizing the importance of overcoming setbacks and adversity. He assured that they will provide full support to Malukas during his recovery and that his success upon his return will be even more rewarding. Malukas is entering his third year in the IndyCar series, having previously impressed with the Dale Coyne Racing team. McLaren had to quickly find a replacement for Alex Palou, who initially planned to join the team but decided to stay at Chip Ganassi Racing. They chose Malukas as the future driver of the #6 car, which was previously occupied by Felix Rosenqvist. McLaren will have a wide pool of drivers to consider for Malukas’s replacement at St Pete, as many will be eager to drive a competitive car that has the potential to win. Zach Veach, a former driver for Andretti Autosport who currently works with the team, and Oliver Askew, a former McLaren driver, are among the potential candidates. However, the search for a stand-in driver may be complicated by the fact that two full-time seats at Coyne have not been officially filled yet. McLaren has a history of looking outside of the box for injury replacements, as demonstrated by their decision to give Kevin Magnussen a chance to race in the Road America event in 2021 as a replacement for the injured Rosenqvist. Magnussen later returned to Formula 1 with Haas.
According to the Source the-race.com