Connect with us

FIA WEC

Ilott Admits JOTA/Cadillac Offer Was “Tough” to Turn Down

Callum Ilott shares reasoning for choosing IndyCar with Prema over staying with JOTA as it becomes Cadillac works team…

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

Callum Ilott says he found it “tough” to turn down the chance to stay with Hertz Team JOTA for its transformation into the factory Cadillac outfit in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as he prepares to leave the team to return to IndyCar.

Last month it was announced that Ilott will be part of Prema Racing’s two-car lineup for its NTT IndyCar Series debut, meaning that this weekend’s 8 Hours of Bahrain will mark the British driver’s final outing in the WEC for the time being.

After two seasons of full-time IndyCar competition with Juncos Hollinger Racing, Ilott embarked on his first WEC campaign with JOTA this year, partnering Will Stevens and Norman Nato in the team’s No. 12 Porsche 963.

He also made three outings in IndyCar for Arrow McLaren, including the Indianapolis 500.

Reflecting on the decision to reunite with Prema, for which he raced in Formula 3 in 2017, Ilott told Sportscar365 that he had originally expected to stay with JOTA in 2025, recognizing the potential of the squad’s impending alliance with Cadillac.

But his belief that there will be opportunities to return to endurance racing in the future was one of the reasons that he ultimately elected to decline the offer.

“I had built a good relationship with JOTA and I was aware of the Cadillac situation, which was evolving quickly and in a good direction,” recalled Ilott. “That was looking like a good long-term home within sports cars and WEC.

“And then just after Le Mans, I had a sit-down with Prema, things evolved quite quickly and I knew that was what I wanted to do. But it wasn’t an easy decision and I didn’t take it lightly. Many drivers have good long-term careers in endurance.

“In some ways it’s disappointing to step away from something that was looking very solid.

“When you take the JOTA team itself in terms of the engineers, mechanics and management, and add the Cadillac, which has been very fast, with a bit of JOTA fine-tuning I think it has the potential to be a very successful operation.

“That was tough to overlook, especially as we already had success as a privateer team, and then adding the benefits of being a factory driver. I was pretty much going into Le Mans thinking that was what I would do. That was where my head was at.

“But at the same time, with IndyCar, it’s not the easiest to jump into, and you can’t be sure you’ll get another opportunity later. I know that there will be more opportunities to come back to WEC in a few years’ time, and that played a factor.”

For his part, JOTA co-owner Sam Hignett admitted his disappointment to lose Ilott for 2025, but said he understood the 25-year-old’s desire to seize the opportunity to return to IndyCar full-time while the opportunity was available.

“It is a shame,” said Hignett. “But Callum is still young and he has been bitten by the IndyCar bug. He needs to complete that chapter of his career.

“I think if he had stayed with us, he would always be looking over our shoulder at what could have been in IndyCar.

“As a company, we will never stand in the way of a driver’s career. That’s why we released him this year to do those races with McLaren, which enabled him to get this opportunity with Prema.

“On the one hand, we could have said, ‘No, you’re a JOTA driver’ and kept him to ourselves. But I don’t think that’s fair.

“He’s got a big career ahead of him, and the hope is that he has great success in IndyCar. And maybe one day he will come back to drive for JOTA in sports cars.”

Ilott: IMSA Endurance Program Possible; LMP2 First Choice

Although Ilott’s main focus will be on IndyCar next year, he expressed a desire to remain involved in endurance racing next season, most likely in the form of selected outings in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.

While not completing discounting the prospect of appearing in GTP or GTD Pro machinery, Ilott said that finding a drive in LMP2 appealed to him the most, and said the chances of him at least contesting next January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona are high.

“I still love endurance racing and there is some potential to do the IMSA endurance rounds alongside IndyCar,” said Ilott. “I don’t know if it will happen next year, but I am free to do it in terms of the schedule, and it could keep me in the loop.

“I’ve never driven the LMP2, so as a driver I would like to tick it off the bucket list. It’s not that I’m ruling out anything else, but it’s the first place I will look.

“Daytona is likely, and then the other endurance races are a bit tougher because of my Platinum rating as most LMP2 teams use their Platinum driver for the full season.”

Ilott added that a future return to sports car racing full time could be an option in the future, depending on how his return to IndyCar next year goes.

“You never know if you could end up staying in IndyCar for 20 years like Scott Dixon, and then get chances to race in Le Mans or Daytona, or if you take your chance and then in five years I’m back [in WEC full-time],” admitted Ilott.

“I want to stay connected [to sports cars] and try and drive in a bit of everything.”

Jamie Klein is Sportscar365's Asian editor. Japan-based Klein, who previously worked for Motorsport Network on the Motorsport.cоm and Autosport titles, covers the FIA World Endurance Championship and SUPER GT, among other series.

Click to comment

More in FIA WEC