Callum Ilott's IndyCar debut with Juncos Hollinger Racing has led to the Ferrari junior and Alfa Romeo reserve being signed up for a full campaign in the US with the team in 2022.
Ilott raced with Juncos Hollinger in IndyCar's previous rounds in Portland and at Laguna Seca and will complete his rookie stint with the outfit this weekend at Long Beach.
But the 22-year-old's performances in his new unfamiliar environment were impressive enough for team owners Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger to entrust one of their cars to the Briton.
"Coming into the final weekend of our three-race run on the West Coast, it’s great to announce that I will be continuing next year with Juncos Hollinger Racing for the 2022 season," Ilott said.
"Obviously, we have had a steep learning curve here the last few races to try to put everything together. We have had some real positives and know the things we need to work on.
"Knowing what Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger have in place for next season and especially over the winter of what we can do in testing, I definitely feel we can put ourselves in a great position to start off the 2022 season strong.
"I look forward to continuing the work that we are doing and heading into the winter to start a new journey over here, and I would like to thank the Ferrari Driver Academy for allowing me to take this opportunity."
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Ilott finished runner to Mick Schumacher in last year's FIA Formula 2 Championship, but the Briton was passed over by Ferrari's affiliated teams, namely Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing, for a seat in F1.
The lack of opportunities in F1 led to a year on the sidelines, save for an FP1 outing with Alfa in Austria. But a chance to head west to America and to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series popped up over the summer, and Ilott has made the most of the well-deserved break.
"His maturity, speed on track, and feedback is absolutely amazing for being only 22 years old," commented team founder Ricardo Juncos.
"We were very impressed with his feedback and the physical condition of Callum after Laguna. After a long, tough race at Laguna, he got out of the car not even showing any signs of fatigue.
"Considering Laguna was a full green flag race, Callum proved to be in incredible shape.
"We know we are not the fastest car on track and have a lot of development to do, but Callum pushes himself to get everything out of the car and has shown great speed.
"Over the past few weeks Callum has shown us he is the right driver for our full-time run next year, so we are thrilled to have him join our program full-time.
"We will be building our program in all areas and will have the time to test to continue our development as a team."
“I am elated that Callum has chosen Juncos Hollinger Racing to continue his racing career. The continuity this gives us throughout the winter and into next season is invaluable in creating a cohesive winning team.
“I could not be more excited for the 2022 season and expect we will surprise people during the year with Callum.”
Co-team owner Brad Hollinger said: "I am elated that Callum has chosen Juncos Hollinger Racing to continue his racing career.
"The continuity this gives us throughout the winter and into next season is invaluable in creating a cohesive winning team.
"I could not be more excited for the 2022 season and expect we will surprise people during the year with Callum."
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