Théo Pourchaire, once again called by McLaren, to race in Indycar at Barber

Théo Pourchaire will continue to drive for Arrow McLaren at the next round at Barber Motorsports Park, the team announced on Tuesday morning. The reigning Formula 2 champion, Théo Pourchaire, made his debut in the Indycar Series at Long Beach circuit last weekend. He finished 11th after starting from 22nd place.

As a reminder, this is a replacement of the injured David Malukas, who continues to recover from a left wrist injury and surgery following a mountain biking accident during the off-season. The team will once again call on Pourchaire for the second consecutive race weekend, alongside Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi.

Arrow McLaren initially intended to rely on Callum Ilott as a replacement for Malukas during various test days and the first two races of 2024, including the non-point-scoring event at Thermal Club last month. However, a scheduling conflict with the FIA World Endurance Championship prevented Ilott from racing at Long Beach.

The Frenchman, a reserve driver for the Formula 1 Sauber team, was designated as the driver who made the most overtakes in Long Beach. He had previously stated that he had been hired to drive in the next two races, replacing David, but his participation also depended on Malukas’ health.

The team director of Arrow McLaren, Gavin Ward, had already confirmed to Autosport after the race in California that Pourchaire would be at Barber. We threw Th2o in the deep end. He had high hopes and I like the way he approached the weekend. He just got started. He completed every lap and improved more and more. A really impressive start.

« Enthusiasm is contagious. You could hear it on the radio. He was having fun over there and it’s amusing. He was just super happy to be in Indycar and make the most of this opportunity, so it makes everyone smile. »

Théo Pourchaire set to race No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at Barber Motorsports Park.

— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) April 23, 2024