How Pourchaire proved he still has a great future in motorsport

Theo Pourchaire proved yet again last weekend in the United States that a great future in motorsport awaits him. The Stake F1 Team test and reserve driver finished 11th on his IndyCar debut.

Pourchaire was asked to join Arrow McLaren in the No. 6 Chevrolet as a replacement for the injured David Malukas. Normally Callum Ilott would be his replacement, but he had commitments in the WEC with the 6 Hours of Imola.

The 2023 Formula 2 champion impressed the team by finishing 11th at Long Beach. Pourchaire himself was also appreciative of his first race in IndyCar. "I thought it was going to be a little bit more boring because it’s a street course, you know, so I expected the race to be like a train — everybody behind each other, because it’s tough to overtake on a straight course. And in the end, I was really surprised."

"I had a really good car," he continued. "That’s why I enjoyed it as well. But I didn’t do any mistakes. I drove well, I did some good overtakes. After doing my first full weekend in IndyCar, the racing here is incredible. I enjoyed it so much from practice one to the last lap of the race. It was a real pleasure. I expected IndyCar to be good, but it’s really amazing. The cars are amazing."

Japanese Super Formula

Last year, the young Frenchman won the F2 title and can't continue in the series. However, a place in the top class of motorsport was not available, as the Stake F1 Team decided to retain Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas. Therefore, he will drive in the Japanese Super Formula this year, just as Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson did previously.