Pourchaire still believes in F1 future, but IndyCar next best thing

Sauber reserve Theo Pourchaire is holding on to his hopes of racing in F1, feeling confident that there will be “a few opportunities” in the future for him to join the grid.

After a seat in F1 with Sauber failed to materialize for this season, the 2023 FIA Formula 2 Champion was exiled to Japan to race in the country’s ultra-competitive Super Formula championship.

However, a prolonged break in the series’ schedule enabled him to respond to a call-up from Arrow McLaren to sub for an injured David Malukas onboard the team’s #5 entry in last weekend’s Long Beach Grand Prix.

With no prior IndyCar experience, save for several hours of simulator running, Pourchaire acquitted himself well, charging from 22nd on the grid to a creditable P11 at the checkered flag.

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As Malukas extends his convalescence, the Frenchman will enjoy a second outfit with Arrow McLaren at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend.

“IndyCar was already on my list last year,” the 20-year-old told the media on Wednesday. “It's something I always wanted to do.

“I didn't have an opportunity to drive. I feel like I was also waiting on an F1 driver with Sauber. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to F1.

“There was also the Super Formula, which is a great category. That was also an option for me. I decided to do that.

“IndyCar is great. Why not coming here full-time in the future? It's an option.”

While a full-time move to the the American series might be on the cards for Pourchaire, his sights are still currently set on becoming a fully fledged Grand Prix driver.

Formula 1's driver market is as dynamic and open as it’s ever been, with several dominoes yet to fall for 2025.

But with more contenders than seats available, it also remains a challenging game of musical chairs.

But Pourchaire, with time on his side, still believes that when the music stops, a fortuitous opportunity will present itself.

“I feel like I have a lot of time in front of me because sometimes people can forget that, but I'm only 20 years old,” he said.

“Of course, I'm F2 champion, which is great. I want more. I want to win a few championships. If I can win one day the IndyCar championship, my dream is also to be an F1 world champion. That's the dream of everybody.

“I have a few possibilities. I still have a lot of time in front of me. I would say, yeah, probably a few years.”

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