Interview with Théo Pourchaire: “With Victor, we want to push the team higher”

With Victor Martins, you know each other well. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having someone you know well as a teammate?

There’s a lot of positive things, especially regarding the team’s performance. We are French, so communication is much easier. Everyone speaks French, so it’s faster and simpler. We all know each other very well, even within the team. Victor and I have been with ART for a while. We’ve known each other since karting in 2014, so we’ve been in the same categories for a few years. Apart from single-seaters, where he went a little before me, I went straight to F3. We end up in Formula 2, knowing each other very well, so it’s very beneficial for the team.

Can you put words to a kind of rivalry? Knowing that the goal is to be the best in the team. Since you know each other well, can you make it constructive?

« I don’t think there is any major rivalry, we try to be the best possible, to help the team in order to have the best car, so we give everything on the track. Of course, when driving in F2, we all want to reach F1 and achieve the best results. Victor and I help each other a lot, we do the briefings together. We remain a team and work together to build this season, so it’s really positive to be able to support each other. To win, you need two good drivers who exploit the maximum potential of the car and show better performance, and above all, hope to compete for victory and win both driver’s and constructor’s trophies. Even communication helps a lot, it’s probably a small detail, but it’s extremely important. »

In terms of technical details about the car, can you each adjust the car as you wish individually, or are you required to compromise to have a car that suits both of you better?

« We can do whatever we want and we try to listen to the team that has a lot of experience, they always have a lot of data. When we head towards a track, we always have basic setups, made by the team, and we can adapt and change settings so that we feel the best in the car. With Victor, we don’t have to have exactly the same setup, we have done several races with different setups this year. We have different driving styles, we can have different desires depending on the track, the type of tires, or the weather conditions, so we can ask for what we want.

However, as Victor knows, we are never too far in terms of setup. We are always very close to the team’s ideal setup, and then it’s up to us to improve with the little details, especially with the front wing or brake balance. Afterwards, we can go further into the setup if we really don’t feel good, but for the moment, that hasn’t happened.

Generally, do you have the same desires as Victor so far?

« Yes, indeed, we are part of a team that has won many titles in this category, so we always start with a more or less very good car. So naturally, it’s never perfect, so we always try to improve even if we are often happy with what we have. »

“In Bahrain, you were far ahead of the others, both of you are good drivers but the car had something extra compared to the other cars. So, how do you manage to understand why in Bahrain you had a one-second advantage while it’s more complicated on other circuits?”

« It’s Formula 2, so everyone has the same car and there’s no development. I think we did a good job in Bahrain, both the team and us drivers. Victor is the reigning F3 champion and I’m the F2 vice-champion, so we did pretty well. In the first two races of the season, we each got a pole position. The car is very good, but it’s a team effort. The whole team needs to be on top so that we can achieve performances like in Bahrain or Jeddah.

So for you, it’s not really something found by the team on the race car, it’s due to the fact of working well with the engineers but also that you perform well afterwards?

« No, as I said just before, all the teams have the same car, the same tires, almost the same amount of fuel. The settings are what make the difference, in Bahrain the settings were top notch. In F2, there are a lot of good teams, such as Prema, Carlin or MP, each one works well and does good work. It really comes down to details, you have to make as few mistakes as possible and always be focused and above all, prepare each session well. In F2, there are 22 drivers, almost the entire grid, they are very good drivers and also very good teams. »

How do you mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming weekend compared to previous years? And do you use video games or anything else to prepare yourself?

Psychologically, I’m just trying to improve myself, to work with my engineers and see what I did wrong the previous year, in order to be able to change it. As for my mindset, I always give everything I have and I never give up. I work every day to get better, I’m often on the simulator, at Alfa Romeo or at ART GP.

Is the simulator at Sauber adapted for your F2 or is it for an F1 car?

« It’s an F1 simulator, but I still do the circuit where I will be racing for the next race. It’s clearly another world because there is a lot more budget, therefore more possibilities. It helps me even though it’s F1. »

To continue on Sauber, knowing that the F2 championship is divided, there is a moment where nothing happens, is it favorable to find a contract in an F1 team, and on your side, what date do you set to know your future?

« By being 100% honest, I don’t know and Sauber doesn’t either. As for me, I have to focus on approaching each weekend one at a time and do my best. On the side, I am a reserve driver at Alfa Romeo so I have to be ready for every F1 weekend, in case they need me, I will be there and ready to do my best. As for the future, for now, I give it my all and we’ll see later. »

Regarding Pauline (Théo’s sister), she was already into karting before you, she’s your older sister, what impact did she have on your career choice?

« We started almost at the same time but I was much younger. We used to do it on Wednesdays and Saturdays when there was no school. Karting, however, is very expensive. Our father helped us a lot and we were able to do it at a good level. Both of us were French champions in our categories. However, there comes a time when it becomes too expensive when you go international or even in F4, F3, and F2, so it was impossible for my father to finance everything. »

It was my father who got us started, but like everyone else, it wasn’t necessarily serious, but more for fun. In the beginning of the competitions, it was a game, but little by little, it became a passion, and the higher up we go in the top categories, it becomes a job. I am in F2 now and I hope to go further. But to answer the question, it originally came from my father.

“Your sister, Pauline, is present at the Grand Prix, what do you do together concretely?”

« She accompanies me on all the races, she manages the trips, for example the airplane and hotel reservations. She makes sure I’m doing well at the circuit. Currently, we are in Monaco in an apartment, in the evenings she helps me with cooking. She also takes care of the sponsors. It’s all the hidden phase of motorsport, and without it, I wouldn’t be able to race. »