Theo Pourchaire, a former driver for McLaren IndyCar, expressed his displeasure with the way his departure was handled.
Pourchaire’s 2023 Formula 2 champion début in an IndyCar at the Long Beach Grand Prix was originally intended to be a one-time deal, but McLaren recruited the Frenchman for the duration of the season after Pourchaire’s impressive performance.
“Disgusted” with McLaren, Theo Pourchaire
Nevertheless, Pourchaire was informed on June 18 that he was no longer employed by McLaren, as American hot prospect Nolan Siegel signed a multi-year contract to take his place. Siegel became the sixth driver linked to the team’s No. 6 entry in less than a year.
Speaking with Auto Hebdo, Pourchaire has now revealed his perspective on the shocking McLaren decision and made it apparent that he is “disgusted” with the way it was handled, claiming that his manager gave him the news over the phone in the span of one minute.
Pourchaire said, “McLaren had signed me to a multi-year contract to drive with them in IndyCar. To be 100 percent transparent.”
“My manager then informed me that I would not be driving in Laguna Seca for the remainder of the season, starting on the Tuesday morning prior to the race.
“I was shocked at first, didn’t understand, and assumed it was a hoax. It had only been a few weeks after we signed. It disgusted me.
The day before I was supposed to go for Laguna Seca, the team called me for a brief conversation at around 11 a.m. to inform me that I had been dropped from the program. I was not given the precise reasons by them.
What is in store for Theo Pourchaire in the future?
Previously, Pourchaire was viewed by Tony Kanaan, sports director of Arrow McLaren, as collateral damage in the ongoing drama surrounding Alex Palou, who broke his agreement to race for the team in IndyCar starting in 2024.
“That driver [Palou] who chose not to come over and breach his contract started it back last year,” Kanaan stated, as cited by Motorsport.com.
“Thereafter, we made the decision to continue, and I’ve been through a long six months. Selecting four drivers is not what I signed up for. Furthermore, several of our options already had schedules because we needed to make a decision quickly.
“You guys out there, I told you, you change race cars all the time. You enter and immediately alter things. We’re here, not that we want to do that with drivers. My goal is to win races. I am only concerned with it. Then, I believe we finally search for continuity.
Pourchaire did nothing wrong, and this was not a personal choice, Kanaan continued.
Kanaan said, “It was just a situation; he didn’t do anything wrong.”
We were required to make a call. Nothing about it was personal. His performance wasn’t the reason. He has taken all the necessary action. Though unhappy, he understood.