Sauber junior Theo Pourchaire fulfilled his objective of winning this year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship, yet there will be no promotion to Formula 1 for the talented Frenchman.
Pourchaire's failure to secure a Formula 1 seat follows the impediments suffered by 2021 champion Oscar Piastri and 2022 title winner Felipe Drugovich, who both missed out on opportunities to debut in the top-tier championship immediately after their F2 triumphs.
Acknowledging his setback, Pourchaire expressed his disappointment during the FIA Prize Giving Gala in Baku, where he received his F2 trophy.
“I think I’m the third F2 champion in a row to not be promoted to F1,” he said, quoted by RaceFans. “It can happen, it’s not because you are an F2 champion that you will have a place in F1.
“But I’m disappointed, to be honest. Because I’m an F2 champion, I did some good results in the past. I did my best.
“The goal that the Sauber Academy told me was to win the championship – and I did it. So it’s like this.”
Formula 2 champions are restricted by the FIA’s rules from contesting the series the following year. While Piastri was fortunate to be picked up by McLaren after a year on the sidelines with Alpine, Drugovich is still waiting for his calling as he sits in the wings as Aston Martin F1’s reserve driver.
Pourchaire - who took part in several FP1 sessions with Alfa Romeo and in F1's post-season test at Yas Marina last month - hinted at an uncertain future with Sauber, but the 20-year-old is hopeful of being able to showcase his talent and upholding his F1 dream by competing in the Super Formula Series in Japan in 2024.
©Sauber
“For me, I would like to do a championship next year,” he said.
“Driving in an F1 car for some testing days – it’s good, but it’s a lot of money and not every Formula 1 team can afford that. So unfortunately I think it will not be the case for me with the Sauber Academy.
“So I’ll try just to find a place in a good championship. So Super Formula is I think the best option for me.”
Formula 2’s inability to send its most successful driver to the next level for the third year in succession somewhat defeats the junior championship’s purpose. But Pourchaire admits that timing is also an issue.
©Sauber
“It’s a bit of wrong timing, wrong place probably,” he explained. “Because there’s just no space next year in F1.
“Of course I think at the end of 2024 there’s a lot of drivers without a contract, but I will not be racing in F2. That’s why I want to keep racing and show myself to the Formula 1 paddock as well that I’m able to be really fast and that I deserve a place there. So I don’t think there’s a big issue in the system.
“But for sure a Formula 2 champion normally deserves a place in F1, because even if it’s in the third season we saw that Felipe Drugovich I think in FP1 is always really quick. He’s ready to jump in an F1 car.
“So I think he also deserves a place in F1. But it’s like this. I mean we have to be realistic, and if we don’t have any places, it’s part of motorsport.”
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