In an unexpected twist, Arrow McLaren has replaced Theo Pourchaire with Indy NXT driver Nolan Siegel for the remainder of the 2024 IndyCar season.
This shake-up comes only weeks after the team revealed that Pourchaire would be stepping in for the injured David Malukas for the remainder of the 2024 season.
The FIA Formula 2 Champion and Sauber F1 reserve driver was initially brought in as a temporary replacement for Malukas, who sustained a pre-season wrist injury that required surgery and an unclear recovery period.
But on the back of Pourchaire’s strong debut in the NTT IndyCar Series, the Frenchman was signed by Arrow McLaren for the remainder of the year.
Just weeks later, the team has changed course once again, opting to sign up Siegel to take over the reins.
The 19-year-old American - a rising star in the Indy NXT feeder series and a class winner at Le Mans last weekend with Zak Brown's United Autosport LMP2 team - has been awarded a multi-year contract that extends into the 2025 season.
“Stability and sustained growth are key to our long-term game plan here, and this is a significant step in that mission,” said Gavin Ward, Team Principal for Arrow McLaren.
“First, I want to thank Théo for his time filling in on the No. 6 car with us in recent weeks. We’ve been working through musical chairs all season, and ultimately, making this change to Nolan now that he’s available gives us the chance to build a foundation for the future.
“He is a young, talented driver with an immense amount of experience at this stage of his career and we’re excited to continue on the upward journey together.”
Arrow-McLaren new recruit Nolan Siegel (©IndyCar).
The decision is a big blow to Pourchaire’s burgeoning career. Despite winning last year’s Formula 2 title, the 20-year-old was denied a promotion to F1.
Initially earmarked for a year in Super Formula, Arrow McLaren’s unexpected call was a welcome opportunity to move west to keep his momentum going. He now once again faces time on the sidelines.
Adding insult to injury, Pourchaire was informed of his team’s decision by McLaren's special advisor Tony Kanaan mere hours before the official announcement.
Just the day before, Pourchaire had been actively sharing his excitement about racing at Laguna Seca this weekend on social media.
“Nobody takes that news well,” Kanaan admitted, quoted by The Race.
“I explained it to him and gave him a few examples of what I’ve been through.
©McLaren
“The first question you ask yourself is ‘what did I do? Did I do anything wrong?’. He didn’t do anything wrong. It was just the situation. It was just a call that we had to make.
“It wasn’t personal, it wasn’t because of his performance. I think he’s done whatever he could do. He wasn’t happy but he understood.”
“This has got nothing to do with how he was driving or working with the team,” added Ward. “We all really like Theo and his attitude coming into the team.
“But we need to set ourselves up for long-term competitiveness.”
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