Théo Pourchaire moves up to 11th place on his Indycar debut
Reigning Formula 2 champion Théo Pourchaire has been called in to replace the injured David Malukas at the wheel of Arrow McLaren's N°6 Chevrolet this weekend in Long Beach.
Théo Pourchaire made his debut in Indycar this weekend at the Long Beach circuit. He delivered a strong performance by finishing 11th with the McLaren team, behind his teammate, Alexander Rossi.
French was rather patient during the two free practice sessions. Although the qualifying sessions placed Pourchaire in only 22nd position on the starting grid, he turned that into a measured race and progressed with each lap in the pack to finish in a very nice 11th place. He wins the title of the driver who gained the most positions.
« An incredible experience,” Pourchaire declared on social media. “I am very proud of the performance this weekend. Coming here to Long Beach without knowing the car, the track, and also the team, the first time with the team, is an incredible performance. I learned so much during this race with all the pit stops and also we had a safety car and I was able to overtake a lot of cars, I really enjoyed it.”
Pourchaire commented on his affection for IndyCar, he explained that he grew up watching drivers like Simon Pagenaud. And IndyCar seems to meet, and even exceed, his expectations. « For me, IndyCar races are incredible. The races are really physically demanding. I feel good. It was difficult because it was the first one, but in the end, I am quite happy with my physical performance too. »
“Races are really good. We fight for a tenth of a second, or even less. I enjoyed it. Fighting with the cars, leaving the pit lane with cold tires, overtaking them, it’s so cool. I enjoyed it. I hope to come back in the future.”
A second chance for Pourchaire?
Asked about the differences between Formula 2 and IndyCar races, the first thing Pourchaire mentioned was the duration of the races. “IndyCar is much longer and that makes the races really interesting because we have a lot of opportunities for strategy,” he said.
A performance that seems to have won over Team principal, Gavin Ward who says he is impressed by the Frenchman who has managed to adapt and evolve over the weekend.
Before last Friday’s Long Beach weekend, Pourchaire mentioned that he was committed to driving in the next two races, to replace David Malukas, which would also include next weekend’s round at Barber Motorsports Park. However, he later announced that his role for the upcoming weekends depends on Malukas’ health.
If I have a second opportunity like this, I will be better prepared because I have completed a full race weekend. I know that a track like Barber, for example, is a street circuit that is more like a European circuit. So for me, it might be easier, we’ll see.
« But I will debrief the race with the team now and we will have time to see what will happen in the future, but we must make the most of this one. It was a good experience.
