Arrow McLaren hires Theo Pourchaire for rest of 2024 IndyCar season, outside Indy 500

In the wake of his first laps on an oval in an Indy car Monday at World Wide Technology Raceway, Arrow McLaren has selected Theo Pourchaire to run nearly all the remaining races on the 2024 IndyCar calendar in its vacant No. 6 Chevy, the team announced Thursday.

The one exception: this month's Indianapolis 500; IndyStar expects the team to confirm Callum Ilott.

The openings for the final 14 points-paying races on the 2024 calendar come after the team released incumbent David Malukas an hour after the checkered flag at Barber Motorsports Park on April 28. Having satisfied an out clause in the team's deal with Malukas by missing four events due to a left wrist injury, Arrow McLaren severed ties.

Though the third-year IndyCar driver had been given a six-week recovery timeline that initially made Long Beach a reasonable target for a return, unexplained delays in his healing held him out of back-to-back weekends to close April.

With this weekend's Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course seemingly unlikely for Malukas and the 500, too, in question -- and two events at Detroit and Road America immediately following the Greatest Spectacle in Racing -- team officials felt keeping Malukas on the team could come off as a tacit promise that they would put him back in car once he was 100% healthy, which they no longer were obligated to under the terms of the sides' deal. Not releasing the young driver, team officials reasoned, could open themselves up to a legal gray area of failing to follow through on apparent promises to Malukas, should they hand the seat to someone else long-term.

Insider: For Arrow McLaren, releasing David Malukas a tough, necessary business decision

Additionally, the team wished to extricate itself from the cycle of unknowns that surrounded its driver plans for the No. 6 Chevy, which previously led to confirming Pourchaire's IndyCar debut one day before practice for the Grand Prix of Long Beach began. Though Thursday's announcement similarly has come up against the start of this weekend's race on the IMS road course, their confirmation of Ilott for the 500 in the coming days should mean the final piece of the puzzle to put together for their driver lineup in 2024.

“We’re excited to continue working with Theo. He proved to be a quick learner, and we believe his skillset and learning mindset will support his development as he gets more comfortable racing in the IndyCar series," team principal Gavin Ward said in a release. "Now, it’s about continuing to grow and turning those learnings into results alongside the No. 6 team.”

Pourchaire, the 20-year-old reigning Formula 2 champion who is presently part of Sauber's reserve driver pool as the F1 team retains certain rights to his future, had been scheduled to complete a full Super Formula campaign in 2024, having kicked off the season with a disappointing 18th-place finish at Suzuka March 10. With three of his remaining eight scheduled races in the series conflicting with IndyCar dates he now is scheduled to run, Pourchaire has shelved plans to run the remainder of that Japanese series with Itochu Enex Team Impul in favor of IndyCar in 2024.

“The IndyCar series has some of the best racing in motorsport, and now I can say that with experience. I'm excited to take on this challenge with Arrow McLaren for the rest of the season," Pourchaire said in a release. "This is a special opportunity, and I am committed to learning and improving as we get on track each race weekend.

"I’ve enjoyed my first two races with the team, and I know we have plenty of potential in front of us."

More: What Arrow McLaren, David Malukas split means for 500, 2024 season and beyond

In his IndyCar debut at Long Beach, the young Frenchman finished 11th after starting 22nd -- earning the race's 'Biggest Mover' award. After starting 24th at Barber, Pourchaire had worked his way up near the top-15 and was running 18th in the closing laps when he was turned by contact with teammate Pato O'Ward, dropping him to 22nd.

As it wasn't part of Thursday's announcement, it's unclear whether Pourchaire has already inked a longer-term deal with Arrow McLaren to remain part of their team for 2025 or not. Beyond this year, only O'Ward remains under contract with Alexander Rossi's two-year deal expiring after the season-finale. Among the present incumbents, Arrow McLaren is said to be interested in Ilott, as well as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Christian Lundgaard, among others.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pourchaire to run IndyCar season for Arrow McLaren, outside Indy 500