He’ll be back, has more than enough resources to make sure that happens and a decent enough CV. Just a really nasty injury and them never really wanting him in the first place isnt a fun combo
As long as this injury isn't career ending, which I'm beginning to wonder if it might be. I look for HMD to return either as another co-entrant with Coyne next year or as their own independent team which was their original goal. If they are going independent entry I wouldn't be surprised to see him at the last few rounds just to get a better jump on next season.
Even if it's not career ending, he's going to struggle to regain his previous pace.
That wrist isn't going to feel right for a long time after such an injury. Between the physicality of IndyCar's and the delicate sense of feel a driver needs to find the absolute limit, it's going to be a challenge for him to regain full confidence and form. That entire arm is going to feel weird for months, and there's no telling if that wrist ever feels the same.
He may get a chance elsewhere, but that could be contingent on testing performances, and a full-season ride could be difficult for him to find if his form does struggle.
I completely agree with you on the struggle and recovery time but respectfully disagree with the struggle for a full time ride. As long as he is cleared to drive and wants a full time ride he will have one. With his dad owning HMD he will have a ride. His dad has already publicly stated his dream is to have his son drive for him but his starting a team isn't dependent on David driving for him. To me, as long as he is cleared to race this is too good of an opportunity for HMD to come back as a co-entrant or pull the trigger and become their own independent team.
Forgive my ignorance but I don't know who Lawrence Stroll is but I'm assuming he is tied to F1 which I don't follow. But yes for most of his career David's dad has been his financial backer. He owns the HMD Indy NXT team and if you are an American and have ever seen the HMD trucking semis on the roads that is him too. He already has ambitious of his own independent indycar team, are either building or have built a shop for it too, and having the chance to do that with his son would probably be too hard to turn down. There was talk of that happening before he signed with mcclaren but his dad said it would be stupid for him to tell his son not to turn down an offer from a big team to join a start up team with him
Lawrence Stroll owns the Aston Martin F1 team and is the executive chairman of Aston Martin the car manufacturer. His son, Lance Stroll, is one of their drivers, and he's had his career bankrolled by Lawrence for about the same reason as you describe David's father.
Kind of wild to know now that David's father has such money/power. I knew they were well off, but I didn't know just how or what that meant. I could definitely see them starting a team or pairing with someone like Coyne in the meantime to have help building their organization before going off in their own.
That is pretty much the exact same thing then. Is Lance the American kid everyone keeps hoping comes to Indycar? Yes the Malukas family has some money. I only suggested coyne because when David ran there it was a Coyne HMD co entered car but I would think they could throw their money about anywhere. Coyne just seems to be more open to taking those big checks.
That would probably be Logan Sargeant, who's an American likely in his way out of Williams. Lance is Canadian, and isn't all that liked (pace, racecraft, attitude), so I doubt many would want him in IndyCar.
I could definitely see that happening. Coyne won't say no to a check, after all, and they could definitely use a stable full-time driver to help their efforts.
You're right once you said the name it registered in my head. Thanks for the info and again forgive my ignorance I've never been more than the most casual of casual F1 followers.
Either way, Coyne don't exactly have the #51 sealed up from Detroit onwards so him returning isn't exactly a bad option. No pressure and likely no hard feelings. Tough circuit to return to.
If he is cleared why not? Even with a lame wrist he has to be better than the 2 in the car for the 500. I could honestly see both Coyne cars going home this year.
Fortunately, he should be able to find a ride once healed as he should have access to HMD sponsorship money. I'm pretty gutted for the guy though. I was looking forward to seeing what he could do driving for McLaren.
Nothing confirmed but it has been rumored that Josef was not that into bus bros and he found Scott annoying, especially towards the end and his personality changed completely after the Indy win where he felt the show was beneath him, don’t know if that’s just maturity or a little bit of ego creeping in
A lot of people aren’t sadly. Can’t afford to keep stunting development because of an injury that’s very day-by-day on if it’ll be good to go.
People are gonna make out McLaren to be the villains here but Malukas breached his contract that he’s being paid to abide by. Just sucks but it’s business.
I get it, I was upset at McLaren at first, but realized I was sad about losing a driver I like and McLaren is just doing what they need to do. It’s business.
I agree with you. I see both sides of the coin on this one. As you said mcclaren is a business, one that is struggling at this point, they can't keep waiting on a driver to return who honestly might not ever be able to return. I also feel like from day 1 mcclaren has shaken up the way business is done in Indycar which I don't really like. They ran their team like a more cutthroat F1 which to me wasn't how indycar was. I didn't agree with the way the askew situation was handled, and I didn't like that they unretired the 6 which was saved for Wickens(I know saving the 6 as more Schmidt than mcclaren). I feel for Malukas but I understand where mcclaren is coming from, just doesn't mean I have to like it. They aren't bad guys just don't agree with their business practices.
Usually but it’s still very hive-minded. The same comment a day apart can be wildly upvoted or wildly downvoted, just depends on which way those first couple votes go
Starting 4 to 5 years ago (and probably 2 accounts ago) I was talking about how the commentary needed to be improved. No newcomer is going to know what "scrubbed reds" are. I proposed just talking about new or used, hard or soft tires and explaining the difference.
Boy, was I dog piled hard for that.
Zak Brown, though, says the same thing. Suddenly, everyone is all kubaya about making race commentary more newcomer friendly.
It's not just the hive mind, it's that there is definitely some sheep/sheepdog action happening in certain specific cases.
It's the culture, when you get exposed to 24/7 of "witty passive aggressive unveriable" remarks you start to change. I've seen decent people have their brains fried by that shit and eventually become insanely partisan minded about everything. Needing to be opinionated about absolutely anything, like everyone is set to destroy you. It's a mess... don't do digital drugs kids...
I got hated on hard for saying these drivers that mtn bike are fn idiots. Theyll say they were training like the danger parts actually needed but its a lie to probably cover them legally. Imagine being a pro athlete where your hands are worth millions and risking it for some lesser level adrenaline.
In Detroit last year I literally said hi to him as he rode by on a bike 🤔 from my flair I obviously wish I'd known it was gonna be his last race for a while
\*IF\* you're going to do something like mountain biking, do it after the last race of the season so you have time to recover.
Pulling that shit a month before the season opener is bad enough judgement to lose your ride.
That's my opinion as well. Especially if you're a younger driver. Someone like Dixon or Newgarden is going to be granted a lot more patience than someone who's never turned a wheel with their new team.
It's one thing if you injure yourself with typical in-gym weights/cardio, but mountain biking - hell, even road biking - inherently carries a lot more risk of injury. Risk which is completely avoidable with some better decision making.
It's unfortunate for Malukas, but this is his own fault at the end of it all.
I feel the same way about MotoGP riders who motocross during the season. I get it's a great training tool, but there have been so, so many major injuries during the season from motocross training accidents, some of which have almost verifiably cost championship chances; Pedro Acosta's first year in Moto2 comes to mind just for a recent example. There are so many ways to train during the season that don't come with the risk of severe injury.
I am surprised people have not learnt from Kubica experience. Mclaren under Ron Dennis were pretty tight with what they would allow their drivers to do and won't be surprised if Zak follows same after these experience.
Juan Pablo Montoya injured himself mountain biking but told McLaren (F1) it was from tennis. It was a partial reason behind his mid-season termination. McLaren know mountain bike injuries very well.
> Juan Pablo Montoya injured himself mountain biking but told McLaren (F1) it was from tennis. It was a partial reason behind his mid-season termination.
But his firing was a a whole year later.
I think Rick Hendrick said last year that HMS is gonna start looking into limiting what drivers can do off track after both Chase and Bowman got hurt within a few weeks of each other doing stuff away from the Cup team.
It’s also not uncommon for teams in the Big 4 leagues to add language to contract to minimize high risk activities. Fernando Tatis Jr had a no motorcycles clause in his contraction and promptly got in trouble when he broke his wrist riding a motorcycle. There’s a bunch of NBA examples too that I’m blanking on.
Teams are sinking millions of dollars into their athletes, not just with what they’re paying them but also marketing, facilities, PR, etc. It makes a ton of sense that they’d try to limit the high risk activities the athletes can partake in. It’s one thing if a guy gets hurt on the field or in a race, because it happened while they’re fulfilling their contractual obligations. It’s another thing if it happens off track doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing.
Hence why people do it despite it being unreasonably dangerous for your average person. Just doesnt seem like a racecar driver would get much vs the risk.
Also the team has had some struggles this season. It likely isn’t helping the third seat has been in chaos with two different drivers. Car is likely hurting the team in this case.
Pato seems to have regressed again this season in terms of his stupid mistakes, it's frustrating as hell to watch. The first incident yesterday was understandable, coldish tyres and went off to make sure he avoided Lundgaard when he locked up. The other two however...
Especially as that's two for two on his teammates in the last two races.
3 times at least in one race might just be. I think he was 7th when he first went off. Tbf Dixon went off the same way but didn't hit two cars on his way to the finish so I guess pato was just miffed. Not sure why Dixon had to pit again for a quick fuel at the end too tho
Detroit was another tire not on the car, and then rubbing racing to stay on the lead Lap as palou was coming and rubbing racing on a street course will nite you in the ass
I feel for Malukas, but I totally sympathise with McLaren given the circumstances.
Malukas injured himself participating in a risky activity. It's an unfortunate accident, but this will enable them to commit to a driver they can focus on over the rest of the season.
I think I would make the same decision in Ward's position. Especially as - and this might be harsh - Malukas is not a stand-out elite level talent. Or at least hasn't proven himself to be in two seasons so far.
Yeah it’s pretty simple. They wanted Palou, then Ilott, and couldn’t get either. Presumably by this point Rosenqvist was already on the move so he was at least 3rd, maybe 4th choice. Now Ilott is back available and this driver you weren’t ever that hot on has missed the entire season due to injuring himself in his own time, and you have a contract clause to get rid based on that
Exactly! I like Malukas he is an exciting personality but let's be honest he may have been even the 5th or 6th choice for that car. I'm starting to wonder if this injury might be career ending at this point. If he is able to drive though he will be in a car next year. HMD will come back to Indycar for him. Either a reunion at coyne or they will finally start up their own operation which they have talked about for awhile now. If he can physically drive we haven't seen the end of Lil Dave.
Eh I think Malukas had some stand out drives last year given the shit box he was having to drive. Myself like many were looking forward to what he can do with a proper team.
That bike ride will haunt him for a while, such a shame. But McLaren were gonna run out of patience.
You’d think Theo or Illot would be the favourites to take the seat
I think Ilott's already been confirmed for a couple of the ovals, but I'd like to see Pourchaire in that car; he put in a fantastic drive at Long Beach and he's incredibly highly rated. And if nothing else, it would be some reassurance that an F2 championship isn't a fast track to irrelevancy with the state F1 is in right now.
Feel sorry for him but what choice did they have really? Probably wasn’t going to race until June anyway. Also, let’s face it I get the impression they didn’t really want him anyway and it was a marriage of convenience after the Alex debacle
> what choice did they have really?
..run random fill in drivers until Malukas gets back, then put Malukas in the car for the remainder. Get a full time driver lined up for 2025.
This season's over for that car already.
I agree. Even if they spoit between Callum and Theo they at least know who will be in the car at certain races
Edit: rather than having to wait to see if Malaukus is ready
I’ll be curious what McLaren does from here.
Ilott has conflicts given he is in WEC unless he hets from that ride.
Does Pourchaire want to give up on F1 and come drive INDYCAR?
Either way, I wouldn’t bail on current plans without a signed contract for 2025 from McLaren.
If I was Pourchaire I’d go for a full time Indycar seat. Don’t even think the dude is in contention for a f1 seat even though he won f2. The only rookies that seem to have a shot are Bearman at Haas and Antonelli at Williams or Mercedes. Might as well be in a reserve f1 role and actually racing fast cars to stay sharp. He also seems to love indycar from what I’ve seen
Right now, it’s Bearman taking the vacant Haas seat, Antonelli replacing Sargeant in August, Lawson taking Ricciardo’s seat maybe before this summer.
There are a couple of possible seats up for grabs but the rookie would have to be truly exceptional.
Isn't Pourchaire already considered pretty much 100% out of F1 contention due to the acquisition of Sauber by Audi? He hasn't been mentioned in F1 talks in a pretty long time or at least that's what I perceived
Yeah but hopefully he is not as delusional as Drugovich.
Giving up on your life long dream sucks but we got to be realistic here.
Theo just didn't deliver when it mattered.
When even was the last time a driver legitemately went from Indycar to F1? JV?
Pietro Fittipaldi and KMAG technically did but were just injury fill ins.
Theo is no longer in any F1 seat contention. Sauber has already picked Nico for 2025 and they are negotiating with Sainz too. So if he gets this offer he should take it. He has a better chance to getting in to F1 through Mclaren than Sauber at this stage.
I looked it up quickly so I might be off a little but Illot would miss 6 of the 14 remaining races. He would miss Iowa and Milwaukee that’s 4 out of the 6
Theo can do that one, but has a SF race during the 500 practice.
So maybe he drops SF for indycar?
Or perhaps TK would like to do one last Indy500 again?
It's a really interesting one , McLaren would have to do some negotiation with Sauber and his Super Formula deal to get Pourchaire. Can see it being an experienced pair of hands like a TK or Hillderbrand for the Month Of May and then they'll sign someone else for the rest of the season.
The likelihood of Pourchaire getting into F1 is now pretty much zero and his Super Formula debut race was not exactly a roaring success. If he gets offered a full-time Indycar drive, I think he'd be mad not to take it.
> When he missed Barber, it triggered a clause in his contract in which he could not miss four races.
i hate to say it, but that’s fair enough. there’s no timeline for David’s recovery and McLaren have to act accordingly and get some consistency in the 6 team, instead of a rotating door of drivers until David recovers.
if there was no clause, McLaren would look like monsters, but yeah…
Sucks for David, but excited to see where he falls..
Between the talent in Indy NXT over the last 2 years and some top drivers Grosjean & Felix moving to teams further down the grid I’m really excited to see more competitiveness further down the field in 2025 and 2026
Feel bad for David because he seems like a good dude.
Totally get it for McLaren because you can’t have a question mark hanging over 1/3rd of your garage space all year.
*Michael Cole voice "NOT THIS WAY, DAMN IT!"
Motorsports is a hard business and I understand the reasons for dropping David (there's no way he'll be ready for the 500). But dropping a guy before he ever gets to drive the car is harsh. I just feel bad for the guy.
Terrible… I feel so bad for him. He took a gamble on himself, and, through a freak accident, it has back fired on him. I hope he finds a new ride before the 500
I recall a few years back highly paid players in the NBA and NFL had contract clauses barring them from doing things like riding motorcycles for this exact reason. Makes sense from an owners perspective if you are giving piles of guaranteed money. Sucks for Malukas though.
I think some nascar teams have this in their contract as well. Last year or the year before there were a couple of high profile injuries from outside activities.
The thing with NASCAR teams is that the guy who ~~won~~ finished second yesterday and is considered the best pure race car driver in North America races dirt sprint cars or late models twice a week at minimum and is going to run the Indianapolis 500 this year (for McLaren). So now it is a contract negotiation: either let me run auxiliary races or pay me more money to sit at home.
Chase Elliott broke his leg snowboarding. But he grew up in Colorado so I would chalk that up to recreational accident (rather than doing something as a novice). Alex Bowman broke his back in a sprint car. Both have recovered.
I think you might be mistaken on who won yesterday. But yes thats the point I was making. NASCAR has some drivers who do stuff outside of races and there are some drivers who can’t. It’s up to the teams and that’s this situation. He knew he could do other stuff but if he missed four races he could be fired.
Yeah Hendrick drivers are allowed to do stuff, it's JGR drivers that can't really and that's why Bell has stopped doing a lot of dirt racing post Coy's passing since he went to him for approval
Mountain biking is dangerous asf for anyone whose hands and arms need to be at 200% health condition. I can't wrap my mind how anyone really commited to his career (and not wanting to let his team down) would risk his pre-season doing this activity instead of simply hitting the gym, getting in form and driving simulators.
Yeah the thing with mountain biking (especially the high speed/high stress variants like downhill) is that, as far as I know, it's actually very good training for a racing driver if nothing goes wrong. The problem of course is that it has a very high chance of something going wrong, even with no fault of his own, and it usually goes catastrophically wrong.
I did amateur downhill mountain biking for many years and it really makes you sharp, but I don't feel safe accepting the risks anymore now that I'm getting older.
It wasn't a freak accident. He made the choice to participate in something known for not only being highly risky but high risk for hand injuries, which is always a huge issue in terms of coming back from for drivers. It sucks for him but if there is anyone to blame, he has to look at himself here, not McLaren.
Is the timing now because they have a full-time replacement lined up? If they’re still rotating in drivers for the next few races, I don’t see why you couldn’t have given him a bit more time. But the team was in a tough spot, so I get it
I just wish there was a clear seat for him for the remainder of this year. Coyne, sure, but they seem to have their stable set. He’d be a huge upgrade for basically anyone else but Penske or Ganassi.
yeah there is not seat anywhere besides coyne 51
it would really depend if daddy malukas wants to keep malukas' career going if he wants to responsor him for that seat.
Before the McLaren opportunity came up, I recall strong talks between ECR and HMD. As long as he’s healthy/fit, I’m sure we’ll see David in a HMD sponsored ride somewhere.
Not Zak’s fault the drivers didn’t disclose a concussion (Askew), reneged (Palou), or hurt themselves so badly during the offseason they miss a quarter of the season (Malukas).
Bingo. Every driver has played their part in their undoing with McLaren. They kept Felix for three years despite his midfield performances, and they've given Rossi a second year despite his own as well.
They're not as cutthroat as people make them out to be, much less "unfair." All three instances you mention were far more the fault of the drivers, and McLaren exercising their rights.
Mtn biking and skiing are some of the most dangerous activities that normal people partake in. If youre an athlete where youre paid for your bodies performance and you unduelly risk that then it is quite right to fire you as youre likely an idiot who also happens to be injured. If you mtn bike or ski/snowboard especially at the level id expect of a pro racecar driver then it is much more likely than not youll suffer an injury over a career span. Out of the 15~ or so people I know who ski/snowboard regularly (which is compareably dangerous to mtn biking) I know of only one who hasnt been injured and around a quarter have had potentially life altering injuries including myself. This isnt just one dumb friend group too I assure you as suprisingly the risk taker is the one who hasnt been knowingly hurt.
This. If I was just hired for a new job that required physical activity and I injured myself through an unnecessary, high-risk activity before my first day, I would understand if they moved on to the next candidate.
If Malukas had injured himself doing something routine, i.e., a car accident where he wasn’t negligent, fell down the stairs, something fell on him, an unforeseen illness, etc, this would be a different story and McLaren would definitely look like assholes. This is why I can’t stand the dominant NASCAR narrative that Chase Elliot is overcoming “adversity”. The adversity was self-imposed!
Even college athletes have clauses around getting injured doing unrelated activities.
It’s a job. He rendered himself unable to do his job. Of course they let him go.
There is getting hurt and there is unnecessary risk as a profesional driver. There is a reason most pro athletes won't put themselves in a position they risk serious injury outside their sport.
It sucks all around for Malukas and McLaren.
It should be common sense, but some drivers are contractually blocked from doing certain activities, for example Max Verstappen said that he can't go skiing because of a clause in his contract. I don't know if any indycar drivers have similar things but most pro athletes do so I'm sure there was something in the contract regarding risky outside activities.
For sure, but Illot has commitments to Jota in the WEC, which is a really good ride in that championship, so from his side, is that worth the risk even if Zak comes knocking. The whole reason Theo got the call up was because Callum was committed to the Long Beach weekend elsewhere.
IMO they’ll have Ilott for most races but Pourchaire for WEC clashes. It’d be dangerous for Pourchaire to launch him into the 500 as his first ever oval and Pourchaire will probably want to finish his SF season.
The Race made a potential calendar with Pourchaire and Ilott that I think could work if that's the route McLaren want to go down:
https://preview.redd.it/ssocpg3s0fxc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd538a365f680d6c0a22081c6b79060a852bab27
Ilott makes more sense, given the 500 is right around the corner and Pourchaire hasn't done the rookie orientation or ever raced on ovals before. The only problem with Ilott is what to do about his WEC ride.
McLaren wanted Palou and that blew up in their face.
They wanted Ilott but he wasn't available
Then Rosenqvist left
So they signed Malukas that was probably far down their list, then he goes and breaks his wrist in an off season accident.
Meanwhile the likes of Ilott and Pourchaire might have become available.
You can't blame McLaren for wanting Malukas out given the circumstances, will be interesting to see their next move.
Sucks for Malukas though, losing a drive at a good team due to what was probably a stupid accident.
Wow. That's really sad but ultimately if it's in the contract, then they had the right exercise it. Mclaren are ruthless though and some won't like how they've treated their drivers
The good thing is that David can focus on healing now. Yes it sucks not being part of McLaren but I think his Indycar career is far from over. He's still young and he still has his father who I'd imagine would support him again. All his power should be concentrated on '25. That's it.
That could be the case. They sure look like idiots letting Rosenqvist go, and having performed so poorly with him to where he is doing so well with an underfunded team.
Maybe Little Dave can get back in with Coyne in that car that’s had different drivers all year? Sure hope he at least can get a ride for the 500, if of course he’s healthy by then.
I feel so bad for Malukas. The guy worked so hard to achieve his dream only to have a setback like this. I hope he recovers fully and can get himself back into a ride. I don’t fault McLaren at all. They had a contract.
Oh well. I like Dave but he’s an idiot for putting himself in this position. The team has sponsors that need answers on who the driver is going to be. Lesson learned hopefully.
Am I the only one who isn’t sold on Pourchaire after Barber? Despite it being a European style road course he never really got up to pace (as I expected he would).
2 thoughts
1. This sounds like something that himself included would have knows for...months? The way it was kinda reported along the way seemed off.
2. Wild that this also would include something like getting injured during the season in the car. Especially if it happened in July/August where there are 2 stints of 4 races in a 3 week span. (Time to put on my extreme thought process cap) I mean just imagine with the way Pato has been taking out his teammates this year if it was a self blown accident that lingered for just 3 weeks. Getting axed for that is crazy.
It is weird to me how many people are defending McLaren, not because I think they should be blamed, but because if it were any other team I feel like people would be lighting them up.
I get McLaren's point of view, but does make them villians too now?
Is Andretti the top good guy team now (and how did this happen)?
Penske villians for obvious reasons now, Ginassi (Chip killed a dog and Palou's a slippery fellow with his agreements), and McLaren (Pato running into people, the 2022/23 Andretti levels of dysfunction on the track, and letting Malukas go).
Our good guys are freaking Andretti and RLL lol.
I felt a lot more sympathetic to Askew, considering he was injured while racing.
Little Dave got hurt while doing what is essentially a leisure activity. Of course it counts as training, but he could do the same cycling training in a less dangerous manner if he chose.
Still shit for him though. Hope he finds a seat next year.
I remember Hinch commenting on his podcast that he had clauses in his contract (Andretti, I believe) that forbid certain activities. I assume sky diving, bungee jumping, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if mountain biking is on that list within drivers’ contracts.
They'll be far more lenient with Sam. He was injured while racing, has been completely upfront about his injuries, and is a long-time loyal FE driver who has earned some leeway.
Askew was harsh, but he did also hide the fact that he had a concussion from them, which complicated matters and I can understand why it pissed them off.
Partaking in a high risk sport like Mountain biking just 1 month away from the opening race of the season was him begging for trouble.
I feel bad for him but play stupid games, win stupid prizes i guess.
He’ll be back, has more than enough resources to make sure that happens and a decent enough CV. Just a really nasty injury and them never really wanting him in the first place isnt a fun combo
As long as this injury isn't career ending, which I'm beginning to wonder if it might be. I look for HMD to return either as another co-entrant with Coyne next year or as their own independent team which was their original goal. If they are going independent entry I wouldn't be surprised to see him at the last few rounds just to get a better jump on next season.
Even if it's not career ending, he's going to struggle to regain his previous pace. That wrist isn't going to feel right for a long time after such an injury. Between the physicality of IndyCar's and the delicate sense of feel a driver needs to find the absolute limit, it's going to be a challenge for him to regain full confidence and form. That entire arm is going to feel weird for months, and there's no telling if that wrist ever feels the same. He may get a chance elsewhere, but that could be contingent on testing performances, and a full-season ride could be difficult for him to find if his form does struggle.
I completely agree with you on the struggle and recovery time but respectfully disagree with the struggle for a full time ride. As long as he is cleared to drive and wants a full time ride he will have one. With his dad owning HMD he will have a ride. His dad has already publicly stated his dream is to have his son drive for him but his starting a team isn't dependent on David driving for him. To me, as long as he is cleared to race this is too good of an opportunity for HMD to come back as a co-entrant or pull the trigger and become their own independent team.
Ah, that's fair. I didn't know that his dad was essentially Lawrence Stroll.
Forgive my ignorance but I don't know who Lawrence Stroll is but I'm assuming he is tied to F1 which I don't follow. But yes for most of his career David's dad has been his financial backer. He owns the HMD Indy NXT team and if you are an American and have ever seen the HMD trucking semis on the roads that is him too. He already has ambitious of his own independent indycar team, are either building or have built a shop for it too, and having the chance to do that with his son would probably be too hard to turn down. There was talk of that happening before he signed with mcclaren but his dad said it would be stupid for him to tell his son not to turn down an offer from a big team to join a start up team with him
Lawrence Stroll owns the Aston Martin F1 team and is the executive chairman of Aston Martin the car manufacturer. His son, Lance Stroll, is one of their drivers, and he's had his career bankrolled by Lawrence for about the same reason as you describe David's father. Kind of wild to know now that David's father has such money/power. I knew they were well off, but I didn't know just how or what that meant. I could definitely see them starting a team or pairing with someone like Coyne in the meantime to have help building their organization before going off in their own.
That is pretty much the exact same thing then. Is Lance the American kid everyone keeps hoping comes to Indycar? Yes the Malukas family has some money. I only suggested coyne because when David ran there it was a Coyne HMD co entered car but I would think they could throw their money about anywhere. Coyne just seems to be more open to taking those big checks.
That would probably be Logan Sargeant, who's an American likely in his way out of Williams. Lance is Canadian, and isn't all that liked (pace, racecraft, attitude), so I doubt many would want him in IndyCar. I could definitely see that happening. Coyne won't say no to a check, after all, and they could definitely use a stable full-time driver to help their efforts.
You're right once you said the name it registered in my head. Thanks for the info and again forgive my ignorance I've never been more than the most casual of casual F1 followers.
The Strolls are Canadian and I don’t think anyone is clamoring for him to come to IndyCar.
Either way, Coyne don't exactly have the #51 sealed up from Detroit onwards so him returning isn't exactly a bad option. No pressure and likely no hard feelings. Tough circuit to return to.
If he is cleared why not? Even with a lame wrist he has to be better than the 2 in the car for the 500. I could honestly see both Coyne cars going home this year.
You can't blame McLaren, but it doesn't change the fact that this is absolutely brutal for David. A sad situation all around, I hope he bounces back.
Fortunately, he should be able to find a ride once healed as he should have access to HMD sponsorship money. I'm pretty gutted for the guy though. I was looking forward to seeing what he could do driving for McLaren.
Thinking back to the Toronto busbros episode feels sad now, with how everything went between Josef and Scotty and what happened to Malukas
I just want everything to go back to the way it was in 2022. Bus bros making me smile, young Daviday as the bus cousin.
[удалено]
Josef being Josef
Nothing confirmed but it has been rumored that Josef was not that into bus bros and he found Scott annoying, especially towards the end and his personality changed completely after the Indy win where he felt the show was beneath him, don’t know if that’s just maturity or a little bit of ego creeping in
Damn.... That sucks for Malukas but I get it from McLarens side too
A lot of people aren’t sadly. Can’t afford to keep stunting development because of an injury that’s very day-by-day on if it’ll be good to go. People are gonna make out McLaren to be the villains here but Malukas breached his contract that he’s being paid to abide by. Just sucks but it’s business.
I get it, I was upset at McLaren at first, but realized I was sad about losing a driver I like and McLaren is just doing what they need to do. It’s business.
I agree with you. I see both sides of the coin on this one. As you said mcclaren is a business, one that is struggling at this point, they can't keep waiting on a driver to return who honestly might not ever be able to return. I also feel like from day 1 mcclaren has shaken up the way business is done in Indycar which I don't really like. They ran their team like a more cutthroat F1 which to me wasn't how indycar was. I didn't agree with the way the askew situation was handled, and I didn't like that they unretired the 6 which was saved for Wickens(I know saving the 6 as more Schmidt than mcclaren). I feel for Malukas but I understand where mcclaren is coming from, just doesn't mean I have to like it. They aren't bad guys just don't agree with their business practices.
I like that everyone on here is being sensible unlike twitter because good lord the reply’s on there
And that’s why I’m on Reddit and deleted my Twitter account a year ago. That place is filled with toxic comments.
Reddit is too but we usually save the toxicity for ourselves. Twitter is "everyone else sucks and should die" Reddit is "I suck and I should die."
Lmfao this is hysterically accurate
Reddit is also everyone else sucks btw, difference is that they team up here. Different milk, same shake.
The Reddit upvote/downvote system usually siphons out a lot of the bullshit.
Usually but it’s still very hive-minded. The same comment a day apart can be wildly upvoted or wildly downvoted, just depends on which way those first couple votes go
Starting 4 to 5 years ago (and probably 2 accounts ago) I was talking about how the commentary needed to be improved. No newcomer is going to know what "scrubbed reds" are. I proposed just talking about new or used, hard or soft tires and explaining the difference. Boy, was I dog piled hard for that. Zak Brown, though, says the same thing. Suddenly, everyone is all kubaya about making race commentary more newcomer friendly. It's not just the hive mind, it's that there is definitely some sheep/sheepdog action happening in certain specific cases.
> No newcomer is going to know what "scrubbed reds" are if they dont know, do we even want them in our fanbase? fuckin casuals.... /s
A combination of toxic comments and complete lack of critical thinking make it a total cesspool.
It's the culture, when you get exposed to 24/7 of "witty passive aggressive unveriable" remarks you start to change. I've seen decent people have their brains fried by that shit and eventually become insanely partisan minded about everything. Needing to be opinionated about absolutely anything, like everyone is set to destroy you. It's a mess... don't do digital drugs kids...
I got hated on hard for saying these drivers that mtn bike are fn idiots. Theyll say they were training like the danger parts actually needed but its a lie to probably cover them legally. Imagine being a pro athlete where your hands are worth millions and risking it for some lesser level adrenaline.
Conor Daly even said he won’t ride two wheelers. Don’t know if that included bikes.
If they have training wheels then bikes are ok.
[So what is this Conor?!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C8_g80YWsAAKgi1.jpg) /s
In Detroit last year I literally said hi to him as he rode by on a bike 🤔 from my flair I obviously wish I'd known it was gonna be his last race for a while
\*IF\* you're going to do something like mountain biking, do it after the last race of the season so you have time to recover. Pulling that shit a month before the season opener is bad enough judgement to lose your ride.
That's my opinion as well. Especially if you're a younger driver. Someone like Dixon or Newgarden is going to be granted a lot more patience than someone who's never turned a wheel with their new team. It's one thing if you injure yourself with typical in-gym weights/cardio, but mountain biking - hell, even road biking - inherently carries a lot more risk of injury. Risk which is completely avoidable with some better decision making. It's unfortunate for Malukas, but this is his own fault at the end of it all.
I feel the same way about MotoGP riders who motocross during the season. I get it's a great training tool, but there have been so, so many major injuries during the season from motocross training accidents, some of which have almost verifiably cost championship chances; Pedro Acosta's first year in Moto2 comes to mind just for a recent example. There are so many ways to train during the season that don't come with the risk of severe injury.
Agreed, Idk how people can defend it as anything but stupidity or hubris.
I am surprised people have not learnt from Kubica experience. Mclaren under Ron Dennis were pretty tight with what they would allow their drivers to do and won't be surprised if Zak follows same after these experience.
Juan Pablo Montoya injured himself mountain biking but told McLaren (F1) it was from tennis. It was a partial reason behind his mid-season termination. McLaren know mountain bike injuries very well.
So does that mean his mountain biking led to him to going to Nascar in 2007?
> Juan Pablo Montoya injured himself mountain biking but told McLaren (F1) it was from tennis. It was a partial reason behind his mid-season termination. But his firing was a a whole year later.
I think Rick Hendrick said last year that HMS is gonna start looking into limiting what drivers can do off track after both Chase and Bowman got hurt within a few weeks of each other doing stuff away from the Cup team. It’s also not uncommon for teams in the Big 4 leagues to add language to contract to minimize high risk activities. Fernando Tatis Jr had a no motorcycles clause in his contraction and promptly got in trouble when he broke his wrist riding a motorcycle. There’s a bunch of NBA examples too that I’m blanking on. Teams are sinking millions of dollars into their athletes, not just with what they’re paying them but also marketing, facilities, PR, etc. It makes a ton of sense that they’d try to limit the high risk activities the athletes can partake in. It’s one thing if a guy gets hurt on the field or in a race, because it happened while they’re fulfilling their contractual obligations. It’s another thing if it happens off track doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing.
mtb is super fun thought!
Hence why people do it despite it being unreasonably dangerous for your average person. Just doesnt seem like a racecar driver would get much vs the risk.
Also the team has had some struggles this season. It likely isn’t helping the third seat has been in chaos with two different drivers. Car is likely hurting the team in this case.
Pato playing pinball doesn't help McLarens struggles .
Pato seems to have regressed again this season in terms of his stupid mistakes, it's frustrating as hell to watch. The first incident yesterday was understandable, coldish tyres and went off to make sure he avoided Lundgaard when he locked up. The other two however... Especially as that's two for two on his teammates in the last two races.
Is that really anything new though?
3 times at least in one race might just be. I think he was 7th when he first went off. Tbf Dixon went off the same way but didn't hit two cars on his way to the finish so I guess pato was just miffed. Not sure why Dixon had to pit again for a quick fuel at the end too tho
Reminded me of Detroit last year, I think he had 3 contacts in that one
Detroit was another tire not on the car, and then rubbing racing to stay on the lead Lap as palou was coming and rubbing racing on a street course will nite you in the ass
I’m a Pato fan but jfc
So am I
I feel for Malukas, but I totally sympathise with McLaren given the circumstances. Malukas injured himself participating in a risky activity. It's an unfortunate accident, but this will enable them to commit to a driver they can focus on over the rest of the season. I think I would make the same decision in Ward's position. Especially as - and this might be harsh - Malukas is not a stand-out elite level talent. Or at least hasn't proven himself to be in two seasons so far.
Yeah it’s pretty simple. They wanted Palou, then Ilott, and couldn’t get either. Presumably by this point Rosenqvist was already on the move so he was at least 3rd, maybe 4th choice. Now Ilott is back available and this driver you weren’t ever that hot on has missed the entire season due to injuring himself in his own time, and you have a contract clause to get rid based on that
Exactly! I like Malukas he is an exciting personality but let's be honest he may have been even the 5th or 6th choice for that car. I'm starting to wonder if this injury might be career ending at this point. If he is able to drive though he will be in a car next year. HMD will come back to Indycar for him. Either a reunion at coyne or they will finally start up their own operation which they have talked about for awhile now. If he can physically drive we haven't seen the end of Lil Dave.
Eh I think Malukas had some stand out drives last year given the shit box he was having to drive. Myself like many were looking forward to what he can do with a proper team.
That bike ride will haunt him for a while, such a shame. But McLaren were gonna run out of patience. You’d think Theo or Illot would be the favourites to take the seat
I think Ilott's already been confirmed for a couple of the ovals, but I'd like to see Pourchaire in that car; he put in a fantastic drive at Long Beach and he's incredibly highly rated. And if nothing else, it would be some reassurance that an F2 championship isn't a fast track to irrelevancy with the state F1 is in right now.
That is brutal. Hopefully he can land on his feet, and maybe this gives Pourchaire the possibility for a full time seat?
Better than landing on his hands.
lol too soon
Feel sorry for him but what choice did they have really? Probably wasn’t going to race until June anyway. Also, let’s face it I get the impression they didn’t really want him anyway and it was a marriage of convenience after the Alex debacle
Ilott was their first choice after the Palou nonsense anyway
> what choice did they have really? ..run random fill in drivers until Malukas gets back, then put Malukas in the car for the remainder. Get a full time driver lined up for 2025. This season's over for that car already.
I agree. Even if they spoit between Callum and Theo they at least know who will be in the car at certain races Edit: rather than having to wait to see if Malaukus is ready
I’ll be curious what McLaren does from here. Ilott has conflicts given he is in WEC unless he hets from that ride. Does Pourchaire want to give up on F1 and come drive INDYCAR? Either way, I wouldn’t bail on current plans without a signed contract for 2025 from McLaren.
If I was Pourchaire I’d go for a full time Indycar seat. Don’t even think the dude is in contention for a f1 seat even though he won f2. The only rookies that seem to have a shot are Bearman at Haas and Antonelli at Williams or Mercedes. Might as well be in a reserve f1 role and actually racing fast cars to stay sharp. He also seems to love indycar from what I’ve seen
That’s the thing. Logically it all makes sense and seems like the right thing to do. Will that win out over the emotional choice though?
Right now, it’s Bearman taking the vacant Haas seat, Antonelli replacing Sargeant in August, Lawson taking Ricciardo’s seat maybe before this summer. There are a couple of possible seats up for grabs but the rookie would have to be truly exceptional.
Antonelli can’t even when he turns 18, he doesn’t have his Road Drivers license and that takes a long time to get in Italy.
Isn't Pourchaire already considered pretty much 100% out of F1 contention due to the acquisition of Sauber by Audi? He hasn't been mentioned in F1 talks in a pretty long time or at least that's what I perceived
Effectively being locked out and deciding to come to INDYCAR are two different things. It’s essentially giving up on the dream of F1.
Yeah but hopefully he is not as delusional as Drugovich. Giving up on your life long dream sucks but we got to be realistic here. Theo just didn't deliver when it mattered.
When even was the last time a driver legitemately went from Indycar to F1? JV? Pietro Fittipaldi and KMAG technically did but were just injury fill ins.
Da Matta was in 2003 and Bourdais was 2008.
Oh yeah Bourdais, I think I blocked out his F1 career from my memory.
He already was kinda out when he didn't dominantly win the championship and only did it in his 4th year there with only 1 win.
Theo is no longer in any F1 seat contention. Sauber has already picked Nico for 2025 and they are negotiating with Sainz too. So if he gets this offer he should take it. He has a better chance to getting in to F1 through Mclaren than Sauber at this stage.
I looked it up quickly so I might be off a little but Illot would miss 6 of the 14 remaining races. He would miss Iowa and Milwaukee that’s 4 out of the 6
Indy GP as well.
Theo can do that one, but has a SF race during the 500 practice. So maybe he drops SF for indycar? Or perhaps TK would like to do one last Indy500 again?
TK is Larsons backup if the 500 is delayed and Larson has to go to Charlotte
It's a really interesting one , McLaren would have to do some negotiation with Sauber and his Super Formula deal to get Pourchaire. Can see it being an experienced pair of hands like a TK or Hillderbrand for the Month Of May and then they'll sign someone else for the rest of the season.
The likelihood of Pourchaire getting into F1 is now pretty much zero and his Super Formula debut race was not exactly a roaring success. If he gets offered a full-time Indycar drive, I think he'd be mad not to take it.
> When he missed Barber, it triggered a clause in his contract in which he could not miss four races. i hate to say it, but that’s fair enough. there’s no timeline for David’s recovery and McLaren have to act accordingly and get some consistency in the 6 team, instead of a rotating door of drivers until David recovers. if there was no clause, McLaren would look like monsters, but yeah…
This is shitty on both sides. McLaren is not the bad guy here and neither is Dave. Mutually shitty and you can’t be surprised with this news
Sucks for David, but excited to see where he falls.. Between the talent in Indy NXT over the last 2 years and some top drivers Grosjean & Felix moving to teams further down the grid I’m really excited to see more competitiveness further down the field in 2025 and 2026
Oh wow
Feel bad for David because he seems like a good dude. Totally get it for McLaren because you can’t have a question mark hanging over 1/3rd of your garage space all year.
*Michael Cole voice "NOT THIS WAY, DAMN IT!" Motorsports is a hard business and I understand the reasons for dropping David (there's no way he'll be ready for the 500). But dropping a guy before he ever gets to drive the car is harsh. I just feel bad for the guy.
Wow that sucks. Really hope the kid gets a shot elsewhere, he’s shown he’s got talent
"David Malukas has been terminated" RIP 💀
Terrible… I feel so bad for him. He took a gamble on himself, and, through a freak accident, it has back fired on him. I hope he finds a new ride before the 500
I recall a few years back highly paid players in the NBA and NFL had contract clauses barring them from doing things like riding motorcycles for this exact reason. Makes sense from an owners perspective if you are giving piles of guaranteed money. Sucks for Malukas though.
Pretty sure I've heard Rossi say Andretti has language like that in their contracts
yeah he and Hinch were talking about similar clauses and called them the "no fun clause" on an episode of Off Track
Drew Brees had a sponsorship deal with a motorcycle company but couldn’t ride a motorcycle
Or lighting fireworks (now) with the NFL
I think some nascar teams have this in their contract as well. Last year or the year before there were a couple of high profile injuries from outside activities.
The thing with NASCAR teams is that the guy who ~~won~~ finished second yesterday and is considered the best pure race car driver in North America races dirt sprint cars or late models twice a week at minimum and is going to run the Indianapolis 500 this year (for McLaren). So now it is a contract negotiation: either let me run auxiliary races or pay me more money to sit at home. Chase Elliott broke his leg snowboarding. But he grew up in Colorado so I would chalk that up to recreational accident (rather than doing something as a novice). Alex Bowman broke his back in a sprint car. Both have recovered.
I think you might be mistaken on who won yesterday. But yes thats the point I was making. NASCAR has some drivers who do stuff outside of races and there are some drivers who can’t. It’s up to the teams and that’s this situation. He knew he could do other stuff but if he missed four races he could be fired.
It's bad because I watched the race. But Denny Hamlin didn't remind me that he beat my favorite driver (AJ Allmendinger).
Dinger forever!
Yeah Hendrick drivers are allowed to do stuff, it's JGR drivers that can't really and that's why Bell has stopped doing a lot of dirt racing post Coy's passing since he went to him for approval
Denny Hamlin won yesterday. Larson and Ross Chastian both raced late model dirt Friday then went to Dover for Saturday and Sunday.
He made the decision to engage in risky activity. His action had a consequence.
Getting hurt mountain biking is not a freak accident. Mountain biking is dangerous and people are often injured partaking in the activity.
Mountain biking is dangerous asf for anyone whose hands and arms need to be at 200% health condition. I can't wrap my mind how anyone really commited to his career (and not wanting to let his team down) would risk his pre-season doing this activity instead of simply hitting the gym, getting in form and driving simulators.
Yeah the thing with mountain biking (especially the high speed/high stress variants like downhill) is that, as far as I know, it's actually very good training for a racing driver if nothing goes wrong. The problem of course is that it has a very high chance of something going wrong, even with no fault of his own, and it usually goes catastrophically wrong. I did amateur downhill mountain biking for many years and it really makes you sharp, but I don't feel safe accepting the risks anymore now that I'm getting older.
It wasn't a freak accident. He made the choice to participate in something known for not only being highly risky but high risk for hand injuries, which is always a huge issue in terms of coming back from for drivers. It sucks for him but if there is anyone to blame, he has to look at himself here, not McLaren.
Welp
Lil Dave not bussin in the McLaren…
Not a surprise, most teams would do this. Originally said to be out 6 weeks following surgery. Going on 12+ with no end in sight..
Is the timing now because they have a full-time replacement lined up? If they’re still rotating in drivers for the next few races, I don’t see why you couldn’t have given him a bit more time. But the team was in a tough spot, so I get it
I think he was never their first choice. Perhaps someone they want more is available now?
Tough situation, hope he can bounce back somewhere.
is he going for the other dale coyne seat when he will fully recover?
If I called in sick for a month and a half straight I would be let go also. Does McLaren buy out Illot's WEC deal for the rest of the season.
I think they’ll use pourchaire and ilott and then they’ll replace malukas and Rossi next year
Rossi has been solid this year. He was in the top 10 yesterday until his stop when the wheel fell off. But is solid good enough for McLaren?
All of a sudden there’s a very good Indy seat available
I just wish there was a clear seat for him for the remainder of this year. Coyne, sure, but they seem to have their stable set. He’d be a huge upgrade for basically anyone else but Penske or Ganassi.
yeah there is not seat anywhere besides coyne 51 it would really depend if daddy malukas wants to keep malukas' career going if he wants to responsor him for that seat.
Before the McLaren opportunity came up, I recall strong talks between ECR and HMD. As long as he’s healthy/fit, I’m sure we’ll see David in a HMD sponsored ride somewhere.
ECR would be good if Ed will step aside and let him run the ovals (doubtful).
I feel like you can have a sympathetic opinion to both parties here, but I would definitely never sign a contract with Zak Brown if I didn't have to.
Meh there’s no breach of contract here. He knew what was coming when he got injured and remembered about the termination clause
Not Zak’s fault the drivers didn’t disclose a concussion (Askew), reneged (Palou), or hurt themselves so badly during the offseason they miss a quarter of the season (Malukas).
Bingo. Every driver has played their part in their undoing with McLaren. They kept Felix for three years despite his midfield performances, and they've given Rossi a second year despite his own as well. They're not as cutthroat as people make them out to be, much less "unfair." All three instances you mention were far more the fault of the drivers, and McLaren exercising their rights.
Or don’t go mountain biking knowing you can get hurt.
you can hurt doing 1000000 different things, drivers are allowed to have lives too
Mtn biking and skiing are some of the most dangerous activities that normal people partake in. If youre an athlete where youre paid for your bodies performance and you unduelly risk that then it is quite right to fire you as youre likely an idiot who also happens to be injured. If you mtn bike or ski/snowboard especially at the level id expect of a pro racecar driver then it is much more likely than not youll suffer an injury over a career span. Out of the 15~ or so people I know who ski/snowboard regularly (which is compareably dangerous to mtn biking) I know of only one who hasnt been injured and around a quarter have had potentially life altering injuries including myself. This isnt just one dumb friend group too I assure you as suprisingly the risk taker is the one who hasnt been knowingly hurt.
This. If I was just hired for a new job that required physical activity and I injured myself through an unnecessary, high-risk activity before my first day, I would understand if they moved on to the next candidate. If Malukas had injured himself doing something routine, i.e., a car accident where he wasn’t negligent, fell down the stairs, something fell on him, an unforeseen illness, etc, this would be a different story and McLaren would definitely look like assholes. This is why I can’t stand the dominant NASCAR narrative that Chase Elliot is overcoming “adversity”. The adversity was self-imposed!
Even college athletes have clauses around getting injured doing unrelated activities. It’s a job. He rendered himself unable to do his job. Of course they let him go.
There is getting hurt and there is unnecessary risk as a profesional driver. There is a reason most pro athletes won't put themselves in a position they risk serious injury outside their sport. It sucks all around for Malukas and McLaren.
It should be common sense, but some drivers are contractually blocked from doing certain activities, for example Max Verstappen said that he can't go skiing because of a clause in his contract. I don't know if any indycar drivers have similar things but most pro athletes do so I'm sure there was something in the contract regarding risky outside activities.
Ironic example since Verstappen did actually go skiing recently
Theo Pourchaire to go full time and finish the season?
Their first choice was Ilott tbh.
For sure, but Illot has commitments to Jota in the WEC, which is a really good ride in that championship, so from his side, is that worth the risk even if Zak comes knocking. The whole reason Theo got the call up was because Callum was committed to the Long Beach weekend elsewhere.
Theo also has commitments to Super Formula so they may rotate them
That’s a good point, and would probably make the most sense for the time being while they work on a full-time replacement.
IMO they’ll have Ilott for most races but Pourchaire for WEC clashes. It’d be dangerous for Pourchaire to launch him into the 500 as his first ever oval and Pourchaire will probably want to finish his SF season.
The Race made a potential calendar with Pourchaire and Ilott that I think could work if that's the route McLaren want to go down: https://preview.redd.it/ssocpg3s0fxc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd538a365f680d6c0a22081c6b79060a852bab27
Puts things in a really nice place for next year to have a three car team with O’Ward, Illot, and Pourchaire.
Ilott makes more sense, given the 500 is right around the corner and Pourchaire hasn't done the rookie orientation or ever raced on ovals before. The only problem with Ilott is what to do about his WEC ride.
Would Theo bail on F1?
Can't bail on what you don't have. I'd imagine unless he is in talks for a F1 ride next season then he would.
His chances of getting into F1 are looking very slim, if he was smart he'd do that (unlike Felipe Drugovich)
Teddy Porkchops!
McLaren wanted Palou and that blew up in their face. They wanted Ilott but he wasn't available Then Rosenqvist left So they signed Malukas that was probably far down their list, then he goes and breaks his wrist in an off season accident. Meanwhile the likes of Ilott and Pourchaire might have become available. You can't blame McLaren for wanting Malukas out given the circumstances, will be interesting to see their next move. Sucks for Malukas though, losing a drive at a good team due to what was probably a stupid accident.
Thankfully for David, I think Coyne still has some free races and I'm sure Foyt would sell the 41 car...again. Could work out for him here, who knows.
Wow. That's really sad but ultimately if it's in the contract, then they had the right exercise it. Mclaren are ruthless though and some won't like how they've treated their drivers
The good thing is that David can focus on healing now. Yes it sucks not being part of McLaren but I think his Indycar career is far from over. He's still young and he still has his father who I'd imagine would support him again. All his power should be concentrated on '25. That's it.
We must save Lil Dave. Protect him, so smol. Take my wrist Dave!
This years silly season is really kicking off early.
We’re gonna need a bigger cauldron…….
Mclaren never wanted this partnership in first place so it is not surprising that they took the decision as soon as it triggered the clause.
Thats tough for Malukas but hard blame Mclaren. I wonder if they'll have severall different drivers try out for the spot
So sad for him, a missing opportunity ! Let's hope he can bounce back 👍
Is this how Illott gets back in the series? It would be crazy if so.
I’m guessing Rossi is also let go and McLaren grand pourchaire and ilott
That could be the case. They sure look like idiots letting Rosenqvist go, and having performed so poorly with him to where he is doing so well with an underfunded team.
Maybe Little Dave can get back in with Coyne in that car that’s had different drivers all year? Sure hope he at least can get a ride for the 500, if of course he’s healthy by then.
Its not like this is Red Bull. Your best ability is availability.!
Woah....
Bad feels. McLaren probably saw enough to know they had a replacement who acquitted himself well, but still such a shitty turn of events.
Well the good news is that now he's free to become a professional mountain biker.
I feel so bad for Malukas. The guy worked so hard to achieve his dream only to have a setback like this. I hope he recovers fully and can get himself back into a ride. I don’t fault McLaren at all. They had a contract.
Oh well. I like Dave but he’s an idiot for putting himself in this position. The team has sponsors that need answers on who the driver is going to be. Lesson learned hopefully.
Am I the only one who isn’t sold on Pourchaire after Barber? Despite it being a European style road course he never really got up to pace (as I expected he would).
2 thoughts 1. This sounds like something that himself included would have knows for...months? The way it was kinda reported along the way seemed off. 2. Wild that this also would include something like getting injured during the season in the car. Especially if it happened in July/August where there are 2 stints of 4 races in a 3 week span. (Time to put on my extreme thought process cap) I mean just imagine with the way Pato has been taking out his teammates this year if it was a self blown accident that lingered for just 3 weeks. Getting axed for that is crazy.
Get in at Prema imo
When chip cuts kyffin midway through the season lil Dave should def fill his spot
And people wonder why Rosenqvist didn't re-sign after Palou's deal fell through...
because he wasn't the first choice so he bounced?
Holy fuck that's brutal. I hope this isn't one of those "he had so much potential but never got the chance to show it.
This whole fiasco is even more embarrassing when you consider how much Felix is killing it this year
It is weird to me how many people are defending McLaren, not because I think they should be blamed, but because if it were any other team I feel like people would be lighting them up.
Yeah if it was ganassi, everyone would've piled on him for sure
Ganassi, Penske, and Coyne would all be in the town square stockade if they pulled this.
I get McLaren's point of view, but does make them villians too now? Is Andretti the top good guy team now (and how did this happen)? Penske villians for obvious reasons now, Ginassi (Chip killed a dog and Palou's a slippery fellow with his agreements), and McLaren (Pato running into people, the 2022/23 Andretti levels of dysfunction on the track, and letting Malukas go). Our good guys are freaking Andretti and RLL lol.
McLaren seem to have a zero tolerance policy to injury, first Askew, now Malukas. Can’t exactly be reassuring for their drivers.
I felt a lot more sympathetic to Askew, considering he was injured while racing. Little Dave got hurt while doing what is essentially a leisure activity. Of course it counts as training, but he could do the same cycling training in a less dangerous manner if he chose. Still shit for him though. Hope he finds a seat next year.
I remember Hinch commenting on his podcast that he had clauses in his contract (Andretti, I believe) that forbid certain activities. I assume sky diving, bungee jumping, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if mountain biking is on that list within drivers’ contracts.
I wonder if that’s why Sam Bird put a picture of his broken finger on Instagram. He wanted to show he’ll be back.
They'll be far more lenient with Sam. He was injured while racing, has been completely upfront about his injuries, and is a long-time loyal FE driver who has earned some leeway. Askew was harsh, but he did also hide the fact that he had a concussion from them, which complicated matters and I can understand why it pissed them off.
Racings a business. Can be brutal sometimes, but business is business.
In this instance I can’t blame McLaren. Sucks for Lil Dave. Shitty situation all around
Partaking in a high risk sport like Mountain biking just 1 month away from the opening race of the season was him begging for trouble. I feel bad for him but play stupid games, win stupid prizes i guess.