Last year’s Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire is a reserve for Sauber in Formula One, but had also signed up to compete for Arrow McLaren in IndyCar – however that situation was short-lived.
Theo Pourchaire pronounced himself “disgusted” by McLaren’s decision to dismiss him after signing a contract to race for them in IndyCar.
After winning the Formula 2 title last year, the Frenchman was unable to secure a spot on the Formula 1 grid and was forced to accept a reserve role with Sauber. But he found an opportunity across the pond with a surprise transfer to the American IndyCar series.
Arrow McLaren signed him for one race, the Grand Prix of Long Beach, after David Malukas was seriously injured in a cycling accident. He performed well enough to receive a permanent contract to continue driving the #6 vehicle for the remainder of the season.
However, last month it was announced that Pourchaire had been replaced by talented youngster Nolan Siegel, who was summoned up from the Indy NXT feeder series after impressing in a temporary driving position for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Pourchaire was summoned by Arrow McLaren sporting director Tony Kanaan on Tuesday morning, just before he was scheduled to race for the team at Laguna Seca, to receive the news. And former racer Kanaan argued that it had nothing to do with the Frenchman’s performance during his brief spell.
He stated: “He did nothing wrong; it was just a situation. It was a decision we had to face. It was not a personal matter. It wasn’t due to his performance. He has done everything he could. He wasn’t pleased, but he understood.
Kanaan was absolutely true when he indicated Pourchaire is unhappy. Speaking to French site Auto Hebdo, the 20-year-old presented his side of the tale, emphasizing that he believes he has been mistreated after assuming he has a long-term future in the series.
“To be completely honest, McLaren had signed me to a multi-year contract to drive with them in IndyCar.” Then, on the Tuesday morning before Laguna Seca, I learnt from my management that they had decided not to have me drive at Laguna Seca or for the remainder of the season.
“At first, I was taken aback, didn’t understand, and assumed it was a hoax. We had only joined a couple weeks ago. I was appalled. The team called me for a minute at 11 a.m. that day, the day before my scheduled departure for Laguna Seca, to inform me that I had been excluded from the program. They did not provide me any precise reasons.”
Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi told Autosport that the team will try to assist Pourchaire in obtaining another IndyCar seat, saying: “We cannot be satisfied, primarily since Theo has lost the possibility to have a good racing programme. This is something that may happen in motorsports, and we cannot blame McLaren.”