Alexander KnightAt just 20, Théo Pourchaire remains hopeful for an F1 opportunity as he impresses in his IndyCar debut, showcasing his talent on the international motorsports stage.
Théo Pourchaire impressed in his IndyCar debut last Sunday at the challenging Long Beach circuit. The French driver secured a substitute role at Arrow McLaren, qualified 22nd, and finished 11th after making the most overtakes. He admits he hopes to rebuild his reputation in America to attract F1 teams.
“It’s very, very difficult because it seems there are not many new drivers in F1 these days,” Pourchaire stated. “It’s the same drivers for a long time. It’s good to have experience and good drivers, but they need to win, they need to be really good.”
“But in my position, I am still very young, I know I can still have a few opportunities to go to F1 if I am a very good driver. I think a championship like IndyCar might be the best championship to showcase myself. I hope I can drive more in it in the future, if I don’t have the chance to go to F1, that would be great.”
Pourchaire reminds us that he is only 20 years old and still has the chance to impress in various fronts of motorsport: “I feel like I have a lot of time ahead of me, because people sometimes forget, but I’m only 20 years old. Of course, I’m a F2 champion, which is great.”
“I want more. I want to win a few championships. If I can one day win the IndyCar championship, my dream is also to be a world F1 champion – it’s everyone’s dream. I have a few possibilities. I still have a lot of time ahead of me. I would say, yes, probably a few years.”
“Getting more comfortable” in IndyCar
However, the Frenchman does not disparage IndyCar and plans to continue driving in it, as he will be at Barber this weekend for the third official race of the season. His impressive performance came after a simulator session, and he is confident he can improve with experience.
“It’s very powerful, which is really, really nice. When you are in the car and you accelerate, you feel like there’s a lot of power. I was surprised. I was smiling. I was a little… not scared, but at Long Beach, on the first lap, I thought ‘it’s very bumpy and very powerful, I need to be careful.'”
“I am getting more and more comfortable. Confidence is also very important to me. I had a good weekend at Long Beach, I didn’t make any big mistakes. I believe I hit the wall twice. I tried to reach the limits of the car and the track.”
“I have a very good team around me. They help me a lot. For my confidence, it’s incredible. I hope I can continue like this at Barber. I’ve only had one race weekend in IndyCar, I’ve never done a full test day in IndyCar. I still have a lot to learn.”
Pourchaire Eyes F1 Future While Thriving in IndyCar. Pourchaire Eyes F1 Future While Thriving in IndyCar
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