Ilott won't rule out IndyCar return in future after WEC switch
Callum Ilott said he won't write off a return to IndyCar later in his career after switching to the World Endurance Championship with the Jota Porsche team this year.
Speaking at the Autosport International Show on Saturday, Ilott revealed that he had expected to stay in IndyCar with Juncos Hollinger until "circumstances changed" and he found himself searching for a new drive.
However, while excited by the opportunities ahead of him, Ilott said he does not view IndyCar as a closed chapter.
Reflecting on his 36-race career to date in the US open-wheel series, which yielded a best finish of fifth, the 25-year-old said on the ASI stage: "It’s a very different world and atmosphere out there, including the ovals as well, that was something new to me.
"It is, in its own way, very exciting and the racing is full of adrenaline. It’s something that I thought I was going to stay in and progress in.
"So it’s not something that I would write off.
"But at the same time, the world is moving, Hypercar is growing, I think it’s only going to get bigger as well, everyone is looking to expand."
Photo by: Paul Foster
Hertz Team Jota
Ilott previously sampled sportscar racing in 2021 with Ferrari squad Iron Lynx, when he contested the full GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and made his debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the GTE Am class.
He recently sampled the 963 for the first time in Qatar and came away impressed with the car.
He added: "There’s a reason that so many drivers stay within Hypercar and sportscars for such a long time and it’s such a great career for a driver to have, but also you’ve got to enjoy it and got to experience it.
"I did 2021 in GT with Ferrari, and it was something that I was putting on the back foot then.
"From there where I was like, ‘okay, this is something that I like, but I want to see if IndyCar works for me’. I had the opportunity.
"I want to enjoy [WEC], I want to see and I’ve got to drive so many cars at 25 years old – F1, Hypercar now, IndyCar.
"I think I’ve done everything so far, so it’s great to say that at 25 and continue to experience these kinds of cars."
Photo by: Porsche
#38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963: Antonio Felix da Costa, Will Stevens, Yifei Ye
Ilott said that his team's race-winning pedigree at Le Mans, having claimed class wins in 2014, 2017 and 2022, gives him confidence that in the second year of its 963 programme, it can be a contender for strong results against the factory teams.
"I keep saying Le Mans win, everywhere, in the expectations and highlights, and I think we can do it," he said.
"Honestly, this team, in the limited time that I’ve had, I can see why they’ve won three Le Mans in LMP2.
"It’s such an amazing work ethic and group of people.
"Even with the expansion, I think the people you’ve added are great and really positive and impressive, so there’s no reason why we can’t do that."
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