Callum Ilott and Juncos Hollinger Racing have agreed to part ways with immediate effect, leaving uncertainty for both about the 2024 IndyCar season.

Ilott joined IndyCar for the final few races of the 2021 season, after having driven in Formula 2 and served as a test driver for the Ferrari F1 team.

He headed up JHR’s return to the top level of IndyCar by running without a team-mate for a season, then by helping Agustin Canapino get acclimated to the series this past year.

That relationship is coming to an end, however, as Ilott and JHR have mutually agreed to part ways just one year into a multi-year contract.

“I want to extend my gratitude to Juncos Hollinger Racing for the opportunity to be part of their team,” said Ilott in a press release.

“I have immense respect for the organization, and our time together has been a valuable experience. I look forward to exploring new opportunities and challenges in my racing career.”

Ilott’s relationship with JHR has been less than perfect, with multiple instances of a breakdown in driver-team trust making their way out into the public eye.

There were also multiple incidents of fan abuse against Ilott from his team-mate’s fan base, with the passionate Argentinian fans threatening him over social media in response to on-track incidents.

The team is thought to be courting Romain Grosjean to fill the #77 seat, but an announcement has not yet been made for next season.

Similarly, no announcements have been made regarding Ilott’s future, although he has expressed desire to stay in the IndyCar paddock despite the dwindling number of available seats.

“While it is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to Callum Ilott,” said Ricardo Juncos, co-owner of JHR. “I would like to express my gratitude to Callum for all of his efforts during his time with our team, and we deeply appreciate his contributions.

“We wish him the very best in his future endeavors. Callum has shown immense talent, and we have no doubt that he will continue to make his mark in the world of motorsport.”

Callum Ilott is once again the target of fan outrage after he and his team-mate Agustin Canapino touched while fighting for position at Laguna Seca.

The abuse has come from overzealous fans of Canapino, who largely reside the racer’s home country of Argentina, and feel that their favorite driver was wronged by his British team-mate.

Ilott’s social media posts following the season finale were bombarded with cruel and threatening messages, to the point that he made his accounts private to limit the attacks.

Argentinian television also seemed to focus heavily on the incident following the race, inviting more people to question if Ilott was at fault.

Over 24 hours after the race was completed, well after the online comments had spiraled out of control, Juncos Hollinger Racing released a statement acknowledging the abuse and ‘kindly requesting’ no further negative comments.

“Let’s not let yesterday’s on-track incident overshadow all the great accomplishments we’ve achieved as a team this season,” read the team’s statement.

“We kindly request that there are no negative comments directed towards any of our driver, both now and in the future, as these comments do no align with the team’s philosophy.

“Let the collective power of our supporters be a force for good!”

The incident itself involved the two drivers touching while battling for position late in the race, with Canapino’s front wing being knocked askew in the scuffle.

Both were fighting for a top five position at the time of the incident, but Canapino quickly slipped down the order and finished in 14th as his car suffered from a lack of downforce.

Race control did not assign any blame or penalties for the collision, and it was officially deemed to be a racing incident.

This is the second time this season that Ilott has been the target of vicious comments online from Canapino’s supporters, with the first round coming after the race at Long Beach.

The fan’s comments in March also seemed to unfairly assign blame to Ilott, and garnered an official response from IndyCar as well as from JHR.

The latest incident comes as Ilott enters the offseason without anything officially confirmed for the 2024 season, although signs point to him returning to JHR, especially considering a number of other available seats have been claimed in recent weeks.

Canapino is also thought to be returning to the team for a second season, which would put the two drivers under the same umbrella again.

Juncos Hollinger Racing is competing in its second full IndyCar season this year, and continues to find that the top teams have a distinct advantage due to their many years competing in the series.

Juncos has had the benefit of two drivers throughout the season, allowing it to more quickly adapt throughout the course of the race weekend compared to last year when it fielded Callum Ilott alone as a rookie.

But the pace that the top teams have improved, specifically in relation to last season, is making it so that the small team is seemingly always starting each weekend on the back foot.

Ilott started this year with a pair of top 10 finishes, but has struggled to get that far up the field for the remaining part of the season.

“I think we overachieved a bit at the beginning of the year, which created some higher expectations,” said Ilott, speaking to motorsportweek.com.

“I think the positive is, I am the biggest mover by far. So I made up the most positions from my starting point, which shows we’ve got good race pace, good strategies, we just need to improve the qualifying.

“The tougher thing is that we have the baselines from last year. The problem is when those aren’t competitive anymore, when everyone else has improved drastically and you’re like ‘Ok well, we can try. But we’re just missing a bit.’

“We’ve added onto the choices we can do, and the options we have. The problem everyone else is pushing at a rate that is tough to catch up with. Which shows maybe this year there’s a bigger disparity between midfield teams and the top teams.

“You just have to work harder and get the most out of it. You’ve got 20 years’ worth of experience [in the top teams] vs two. It’s a no brainer. For them, it’s going to be a massive difference.”

Ilott also related that his plans for next season are ‘unconfirmed,’ and that he’s been talking with various teams throughout the season in order to try to get something lined up.

“No,” he said flatly when asked if he has a deal for next season. “I thought I would know three months ago, but I haven’t. It’s IndyCar. I don’t know what’s going on. All I can say is that it’s unconfirmed.”

The NTT IndyCar Series has released a statement relating to the online abuse and threats that Callum Ilott received following last weekend’s race at Long Beach.

Ilott made it known after the race that he had been the target of multiple threatening messages on social media, presumably from fans of his new team-mate Agustin Canapino.

Despite the drivers not colliding while competing against each other on track, some fans felt that close racing between the two hurt the rookie’s result and directed their anger towards Ilott.

IndyCar released a statement late Monday condemning the abuse and calling for support and appreciation for everyone in the paddock.

“Over the last 24 hours, some of our drivers have been the target of disrespectful and inappropriate online abuse,” read the statement. “There is no place for this behavior in our sport.

“While fierce competition and rivalry will always be a mainstay of IndyCar racing, it’s important to showcase and celebrate these attributes with ultimate respect and concern for the well-being of our competitors.

“IndyCar is a community that should always strive to build upward with support and appreciation for one another.”

There were no reports of any physical violence or threats made in person, but the aggression shared online was above and beyond typical fan favoritism.

Both drivers involved race for Juncos Hollinger Racing, and the team released their own statement which echoed the views of the series.

“After the events of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach our drivers and team have faced an exponential amount of disrespectful online abuse. This is beyond inappropriate and we as a team are very disappointed in the behavior of everyone involved. There is no place for that on our team and there is no place for that in our sport.

“Our drivers will always have respect for each other on and off the track. No matter what happens, we are in a sport where split second decision make or break the weekend. We learn, forgive, and forget.

“We as a team are grateful to have fans as passionate as we do, but we need to remember that our community is built on respect for everyone on our team and in the series. We will see you all in Barber.”

IndyCar will be back on track for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on April 30.

Callum Ilott has revealed through social media that he has been the focus of abuse and death threats online following Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Ilott detailed that the messages were delivered in Spanish, hinting that fans of his new IndyCar team-mate Agustin Canapino may be to blame.

Canapino brings a large following of fans with him from his native Argentina, and is a rookie racing with Juncos Hollinger Racing this season.

Although Ilott didn’t go into many specifics with his posts, it appears that the hateful words directed his way were on account of his close racing moment with his team-mate Canapino.

Canapino was at the front of the field for a mid-race restart after his crew decided to try a bold strategy and left him on track while most of the rest of the field pitted for new tires. Just as the race went green, Ilott came out of the pits himself and was on track directly in front of his team-mate.

The two came close to each other with the rest of the field breathing down their necks, but television cameras did not show any contact between the drivers.

Canapino did drop through the field rather quickly, presumably from contact with one of the other drivers that were rushing past on fresh Firestone rubber. He later spent some time in the garage area while repairs were made to his JHR Chevy.

Following the race, Ilott made a few posts that made it clear he was not pleased with the threats he received, and that they went beyond the normal level of fan favoritism that athletes are subject to.

“Genuinely impressed by the amount of death threats and abuse I’ve received,” Ilott posted. “Definitely a new record by far, really appreciate the effort to help me learn all these new Spanish words.”

On Monday, he followed that message up with more details about the incident and thanked people for their support.

“On another note, it’s an important reminder to all new and old fans/people. Respect goes both ways. Although I have thick skin and am used to this behaviour occasionally. One day it will go too far to someone who can’t deal with it as well as others.

“It’s unacceptable on any level and those who encourage it should have a real think about the consequences of their actions. But I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, it means a lot.”

Ilott also sent a public message to an Argentinian sports commentator about the incident, reminding him that “professionalism is needed when you hold a microphone that sends a message to 100k+ people.”

Canapino posted his own message to social media, which appears to be related to the fan reactions he witnessed following the race.

“Unfortunately we had to retire due to a race situation,” read the translated message. “To clarify that [Callum Ilott] did not do anything on purpose or with intention, it simply happened that way due to circumstances, we make a good team and I am very grateful for that.”

Update: IndyCar and Juncos Hollinger Racing each released a statement condemning the abuse and calling for respect towards everyone in the sport.

The second practice for IndyCar at Long Beach was completed on Saturday morning, and it was Pato O’Ward who once again put his name atop the timesheets.

The Arrow McLaren driver has his car locked in, and his famously fast hands seem to suit the tricky street course well.

Kyle Kirkwood was the second fastest driver of the day, with his Andretti team-mate Romain Grosjean following closely in third.

Colton Herta made it an Andretti Autosport trio by completing the fourth fastest time of the morning, and Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top five.

Callum Ilott was the first driver to have a bad start to the day, as he launched himself off the curbs on the inside of the tricky turn 5.

His Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy crashed hard into the tire barriers three minutes into the session, and forced the Briton to sit out the remainder of the critical morning practice.

On the very first green lap after Ilott’s crash, Rinus VeeKay had an identical crash that tore up his Ed Carpenter Racing machine in the same manner.

Television pictures revealed that a piece of curbing was damaged and removed on Friday, then was added back to the track overnight before the running on Saturday, which caused the cars to launch over it as if it were a ramp.

The track changes were not communicated to drivers before they found out the hard way, leading to some hurt feelings and lost track time from those affected.

The rest of the teams were able to radio their drivers to give them a warning about the added curb, and extra care was given to avoid the troublesome spot from then on.

A couple drivers pushed the limits a bit too far and found themselves having to reverse out of the run off areas, and few others brushed dangerously against the concrete barriers, but no other major damage was done aside from the two that crashed early.

The next time drivers see the track will be for a Fast Six knockout qualifying session in the afternoon, setting the field for Sunday’s race.

Callum Ilott started Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg all the way down in 22nd position, but was able to steadily move up through the field as others around him made mistakes.

The main contributor to his rise through the field was his avoidance of the many wrecks that happened in front of him, which alone allowed him to gain quite a few positions.

By time half of the race had passed, Ilott was already in eighth position, and he gained a few more in the latter half of the 100-lap event to earn his first top 5 result of his young career.

After the race he described that his cool demeanor helped vault him and the Juncos Hollinger Team well ahead of where they were at the start of the season last year.

“Honestly, we improved throughout the weekend and managed to put down a good race today,” said Ilott in television interviews after the race. “I forgot I started 22nd, so I came from a long way back.

“Honestly, kept it cool. I lost out a little bit because I was playing it on the safe side, but those restarts were so slippy. Losing a couple places, but when people were overdoing it, that was when I was able to capitalize.

“What a race, what a day, what a start! Big thank you to everyone, and obviously all our sponsors as well. It’s great. We’ll work hard. Texas is next, quite a bit of a change.

“This was one of our weakest weekends last year, so able to come in with a top 5 is not what I expected. I think that sets a good start for the year.”

Ilott’s rookie team-mate Agustin Canapino also did remarkably well in his IndyCar debut, staying on the lead lap and earning a 12th place finish.

Together both drivers hope to be able to work together to produce consistent results and give their fledgling team more and more respect as each race goes by.

Callum Ilott is entering his second season as a driver in the NTT IndyCar Series, and this year he will have the benefit of a team-mate to help him get the best results each weekend.

Agustin Canapino is a rookie, however, and will be spending much of his time learning from Ilott the tips and tricks needed to get the most out of his Juncos Hollinger Racing #78.

This season will be Canapino’s first real foray into open wheel racing, having come from Argentina’s stock car scene, and will need some time to get accustomed to the different driving style required.

Ilott was asked in what ways he and Canapino can help each other during the upcoming season with neither having a lot of experience in the competitive series.

“It’s a tough one because of the position that he’s in,” said Ilott of his new team-mate. “It’s a bit of an unknown for me, for the team, for the championship, because for sure he’s quick. But again, it’s a real really tough thing to jump into.

“So I really — I’m a bit nervous for him, and I admire the jump because it’s not easy to do. Obviously Scott McLaughlin has done it in, shall we say, a different environment, but he’s done it, and Agustin has that background but from Argentina.

“It’s more I have to wait and see where we’re at and what we’re doing because it could be more of a data thing or it could be really something that we can work together as a team and build off of. But I know it’s definitely not easy as a rookie.

“But then taking my own experience, we worked really well together as a one-car operation compared to big four-, five-car operations, and sometimes we kick their ass. But that gives me the confidence that no matter what, I can kind of work with what we’ve got and do a good job with it.”

Ilott was heavily involved in the quest to find a second driver for JHR during the latter part of last year, with the Briton relating that he was on the lookout for someone that could help the team to grow quickly.

Despite that, the team chose to bring in a rookie with very little open wheel experience, seemingly weighing heavily the opportunity to have a driver from team owner Ricardo Juncos’ home country of Argentina.

Canapino certainly brings a lot of attention and potential sponsorship opportunities with him, but he also lacks the ability to jump in and provide feedback in the same way that an IndyCar veteran would have.

“Obviously the closer he can get to what I’m doing and the more similar he’s, shall we say, reenacting what I’m doing, because hopefully I am the baseline in that sense, the better, because that can help us,” continued Ilott.

“Obviously he is a racing driver. He has done many years of it. For sure when we try something, he should be able to feel it. If he feels it in a slightly different way, that’s still feedback for the team. It’s still good.”

Juncos Hollinger Racing has revealed an updated branding scheme ahead of the upcoming 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season.

The new look includes a new JHR logo written in fluorescent green, white, and silver, as well as a new bold livery on the team’s two cars.

The team has always included green in its liveries, but the modern look is decidedly different from past schemes.

“This is an exciting moment in our team’s journey and marks the beginning of a new chapter for us,” said JHR founder and co-owner Ricardo Juncos.

“We have a two-car team for the first time, a driver in Callum [Ilott] with huge potential, and a new driver in Agustín [Canapino] who has enjoyed great success in multiple other race series.

“We felt it was important to have a new identity to coincide with our status as a fresh and invigorated challenger, racing with Latin spirit and American pride.”

The team also has a new mission statement, with ‘The Power of Possibility’ reflecting the team’s self-described energetic approach to racing.

Callum Ilott will be running his second IndyCar season in the #77, and will be paired with Agustin Canapino in the #78, who is a rookie this season.

The 33-year-old driver has had many years of experience racing in his native Argentina, but this will be the first time he will be racing an open wheel car.

Canapino has tested with JHR a couple times, and was also the designated driver for the team’s exhibition runs on the streets of Argentina a couple months ago.

“It’s been great to see the team again for the first time since we ran our IndyCar exhibition in Argentina,” said Canapino. “They’ve given me a warm welcome and are a very good group of professionals. It’s an honour to work with them.

“I´m very excited about this new challenge and am busy preparing to the highest possible level –physically, mentally and technically. I want to give 100%. I’m happy and grateful for this opportunity.”

Juncos Hollinger Racing has confirmed that it will be fielding a second car in the 2023 IndyCar season, expanding from its current single-car operation.

JHR has run a few limited IndyCar races since its debut in 2017, but had continued to heavily focus on its operations in the Road to Indy series while it built a complete program.

This season, team owner Ricardo Juncos teamed up with Brad Hollinger to continue expansion and joined for a full season with rookie driver Callum Ilott.

Now only one year into the team’s fully-formed IndyCar ambitions, a #78 entry will be added alongside the #77 for the entirety of next season.

“To be able to announce this today and make this a reality is incredible,” said JHR co-owner Ricardo Juncos. “We have stood by our words from the beginning that we would continue to grow and expand and that is what we are doing.

“We wanted to start this year with one car, to start the protocols and procedures for the team.  Our philosophy that we work with is a little bit different than the standards, so we wanted to make sure we implanted our plan the right way by focusing on one car before we expanded.

“We are doing exactly as we planned and will continue with our two-car team for the foreseeable future starting in 2023. We are going to keep building this team the way Brad [Hollinger] and I planned from the beginning, and to do what is the best in terms of development, technical, marketing, and everything else.”

There had been rumors for quite some time that the team would expand for the upcoming season, and Ilott even described how he has been instrumental in helping the team make decisions surrounding the expansion.

Having a team-mate will be of great help for both driver and team, especially considering JHR does not have a technical partnership with one of the bigger teams like other small teams on the grid do.

A driver for the new entry has not yet been decided upon, and will be announced at a later date.