The Frenchman will continue his apprenticeship in Formula 2 for an additional season while waiting for a chance in F1.
Frenchman Théo Pourchaire will join ART GP for a third season in Formula 2, the antechamber of Formula 1, the French team announced on Thursday.
The 19-year-old Grassois, reigning F2 world vice-champion behind the Brazilian Felipe Drugovich, “will still be one of the youngest drivers on the grid, but he has acquired a technical and human maturity which, combined with his speed and his fighting spirit, will be a major asset to be constant at the forefront and to help the team in its technical guidelines“, declared Sébastien Philippe, boss of the team.
Formula 3 vice-champion in 2020 with ART GP, Pourchaire finished 5th in his first season in F2 in 2021. He became the youngest winner of a race in the F3 category, then in the F2 category at 17 years and 9 months. .
If he assured the site franceracing.fr last summer to run his second and last season in F2- because “financially, it will not be possibleto continue, things finally settled down for the Frenchman, “happy to extend (his) career in this high-level championship».
In his objective to join the elite, Pourchaire can notably count on the support of the Sauber Academy, the academy for young Alfa Romeo drivers currently in F1, a team which he will nevertheless join next season as a driver. reserve.
After a first private test run with an F1 in 2021, the young Frenchman made his official debut in Formula 1 last October during the first free practice of the United States Grand Prix, at the wheel of an Alfa-Romeo.
Pourchaire will find on March 5 on the starting grid of the inaugural GP in Bahrain his compatriots Isack Hadjar, promoted in F2 with Hitech GP and Clément Novalak, assured of a place alongside the Trident team.
He should team up with another Frenchman, Victor Martins, reigning Formula 3 world champion. ART GP has not yet formalized his arrival.