Another question mark for IndyCar’s 2025 season has been answered: The incoming PREMA team has announced that it will sign Callum Ilott to one of the two cars that will debut next season.

Back in 2023, Ilott was unceremoniously dropped by his Juncos Hollinger Racing team after falling foul of the outfit’s Argentinian superfans. Ilott missed out on his shot for a seat in 2024 — but PREMA has stepped in to right that wrong for 2025.

Callum Ilott: From IndyCar full-timer to one-off specialist and back again

British star Callum Ilott seemed destined for the Formula 1 world for much of his racing career, having finished second to Mick Schumacher in the 2020 Formula 2 season and serving as test or reserve drivers for Alfa Romeo, Haas, and Ferrari.

Sadly, the timing just wasn’t right for young Ilott, who was never able to find a seat in the premier class of international open-wheel racing. When Juncos Hollinger Racing offered him a handful of races behind the wheel of its Chevrolet at the end of the 2021 IndyCar season, Ilott impressed — to the extent that he was brought in full-time for the subsequent two years.

However, Ilott’s time with the team was fraught. JHR entered IndyCar after having purchased some assets from the defunct Carlin team — but the operation was effectively starting from scratch. Ilott served as the team’s only full-time car in 2022, and his two top-10 finishes and a front-row start at the Laguna Seca finale were highly impressive.

But team co-owner Ricardo Juncos had ideas for expansion in 2023, and the team introduced a second full-time car to be fielded by Argentine touring car star Agustin Canapino.

It was, in short, a disaster. The team didn’t quite have the resources necessary to make a competent effort for both cars, and Canapino’s signing came with a slate of ultra-passionate fans that soon began to lob abuse Ilott’s way.

At the third race of 2023, Long Beach, Ilott was blamed for impeding and causing a crash for teammate Canapino — and the social media backlash was swift, with the British racer being bombarded by threats, hate, and more.

While Ilott wanted his team to address the issue, JHR viewed the social media hate as a non-concern and regularly downplayed the severity of the messages Ilott was receiving. As a result, when Ilott addressed the hateful messages himself, JHR viewed it as an insult against team leadership.

The relationship between Ilott and his team disintegrated, and the British racer lost out on a drive for 2024 after the conclusion of the 2023 season as contract negotiations with JHR dragged on so long that it prevented Ilott from talking to other teams. When his departure was announced, it too late for him to find another seat in IndyCar.

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Since then, Ilott has made just three appearances on the IndyCar grid, all with Arrow McLaren. He was one of a few drivers who substituted for an injured David Malukas in the first two races of 2024, and also took on the Indianapolis 500 for the team.

Ilott’s performances with JHR had established him as a formidable challenger — the kind of young driver who could not only be quick but who could also help a burgeoning team find its footing in an ultra-competitive championship. That he wasn’t present on the 2024 grid was frankly criminal.

Thankfully, PREMA has stepped in. The Italian motorsport team is expanding its diverse racing operation into IndyCar for 2025 courtesy of a two-car team, and Ilott has been announced as the team’s first choice.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Callum back with us for this new chapter of our history,” said PREMA owner Rene Rosin.

“We had a great time working with him in Formula 3, and we always kept an eye on him after that.

“He proved to be a great fit for us in the past, and I think he will feel like picking up something he had left off. He proved his outstanding speed skills everywhere he competed.

“In addition, his prior IndyCar experience will be an invaluable asset. Now that the opportunity to get back together has come, we are determined to make the most out of it.”

Together, Ilott and PREMA competed in the 2017 F3 championship, during which time Ilott took six wins and finished fourth overall in the drivers’ championship. His impressive performances also enabled PREMA to take the teams’ championship that season.

“We are really looking forward to welcoming Callum to our IndyCar team,” said Prema CEO Piers Phillips in a press release.

“His previous experiences in the series, combined with those with PREMA, will make him a key asset as we try to merge the team’s European heritage with what it will be able to learn in the U.S.

“We know Callum as a very talented driver, but we can also see how his professionalism has matured in the series. The information and feedback he will be able to share will be extremely important, as much as his impressive racing skills.”

Further, Ilott himself added, “I love the racing [in IndyCar]. I love these cars and I love the team, so it’s great to be back to what they call the Italian family home.”

At just 25 years of age, Ilott is still young — but he is by far one of the best choices for PREMA.

PREMA has yet to offer any indication of who will parter with Ilott for 2025, but the team is already off to a great start.

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