Disillusionment for F2 champion Théo Pourchaire, who’s taking his time in SuperFormula

Junior Sauber driver has won the F2 championship in the last race in Abu Dhabi, beating junior Mercedes driver Frederik Vesti for the championship title. However, Théo Pourchaire will not enter Formula 1 in 2024. Just like the 2021 champion Oscar Piastri, and the winner of the 2022 title Felipe Drugovich, he failed to secure a spot on the F1 grid immediately after winning the Formula 2 championship.

Speaking at the FIA awards ceremony in Baku, where he received his Formula 2 trophy, Pourchaire admitted that he was disappointed « not to have been offered a Formula 1 seat in 2024. “I think I am the third consecutive F2 champion to not be promoted to F1,” he said. “It can happen. Just because you are the F2 champion doesn’t mean you will have a spot in F1.”

But I am disappointed, to be honest. Because I am the champion of F2, I have achieved good results in the past. I did my best. The goal that the Sauber Academy had set for me was to win the championship, and I reached it. So that’s how it is.

The Formula 2 champions are not allowed to participate in the following season of this category. For example, after winning the F2 2021 title, Oscar Piastri spent a season as a reserve driver at Alpine and privately tested the team’s cars until he was poached by McLaren as a racing driver for 2023.

Pourchaire says that he would like to secure a seat in another series for 2024, such as the Japanese Super Formula championship, in which Red Bull junior Liam Lawson has participated and almost won this year. « Personally, I would like to compete in a championship next year ». During the FIA Gala, the Frenchman even confirmed that he « will race in another championship in 2024. », without specifying which one, although everything seems to point towards Super Formula.

Driving in an F1 car for a few days of testing is great, but it costs a lot of money and not all Formula 1 teams can afford it. So unfortunately, I don’t think it will be the case for me with the Sauber Academy. Therefore, I will just try to find a spot in a good championship. The Super Formula is, I believe, the best option for me.

When asked if his failure to progress in F1 was simply due to bad luck or reflective of a systematic problem with the sport, Pourchaire replied: “« I think it’s a bit of both. […] It’s a bit of bad timing, probably the wrong place. Because there simply isn’t any space in F1 next year ».”

« Of course, I think that by the end of 2024, there will be many drivers without contracts, but I will not race in F2. That’s why I want to continue racing and show the Formula 1 paddock that I am capable of being very fast and deserving a spot there. So, I don’t think there is a big problem in the system ».

« But it’s certain that a Formula 2 champion normally deserves a place in F1, because even if it’s in the third season, we’ve seen that Felipe Drugovich, in FP1, is always very fast. He is ready to step into an F1 car. So I think he deserves a place in F1 as well. But that’s how it is. I mean, we have to be realistic, and if we don’t have any available spots, that’s part of motorsport.