Santino Ferrucci has been called up to substitute for Callum Ilott at this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix, taking over in the #77 Juncos Hollinger Chevy for one race.
Ilott suffered a hard crash in last weekend’s Indianapolis 500, sustaining injuries to his right hand in the process.
The British rookie had been hopeful he would be good to go for the race in Detroit, but the IndyCar medical team did not clear him to race.
Ferrucci, who has driven races for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing this year, will step in this weekend at JHR while Ilott recovers.
“This is a very difficult scenario for Ilott and JHR,” said JHR Co-owner Ricardo Juncos. “Together we are looking at the long-term view, so keeping Ilott out of the car to take the necessary time to heal was most important, so we support the IndyCar’s evaluation.
“Callum has already proven to be a strong contender this year and we want to keep building on that, so we all agree this is the best decision for this weekend.”
This is not Ferrucci’s first time being called up as an emergency driver this year. He filled in for Jack Harvey in Texas when he suffered a concussion the day before the race.
In that instance, the decision was not made until the morning of the race, and Ferrucci just happened to be on-site and available. For this weekend, the 23-year-old will have a chance to have a proper seat fitting and be able to participate in practice sessions throughout the weekend.
“Obviously I am devastated not to be racing this weekend in Detroit,” said Ilott. “After speaking with the doctors and specialists here in Indy the damage to my hand was slightly worse than when first looked at.
“They suggested that the long-term healing was the top priority and any damage that could be done in the short term by racing would be a longer-term problem. So, after learning this I agreed with the medical team’s decision that I would not be cleared and would spend more time healing.
“Although I would have loved to be racing, I wanted to preserve myself and focus on my health. I will be with the team this weekend and supporting Santino and providing any guidance I can. I am sorry that I won’t be in the car this weekend but know this is the right decision.”
Ferrucci raced a part-time schedule in 2021 for RLL, which included the Detroit Grand Prix. During that weekend, he crashed in qualifying and his team scrambled to get the backup car ready in time for the race.
It is hoped this weekend will be less dramatic, and that Ferrucci can carry momentum from his top 10 finish at the Indy 500 just last weekend.
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