Even after winning the Formula 2 championship, Theo Pourchaire hasn’t really got any realistic chance to make the step up to Formula 1 in 2024. However, as per a recent report by GPBlog, Pourchaire is still optimistic about his chances in the future and wants to follow Oscar Piastri’s path to F1.
Pourchaire said, “I saw Oscar did it very well. Now, he’s driving in F1.” He explained further, “He’s really competitive. Hopefully, I can join him in the future.” As for now, Pourchaire explained that he cannot compete in F2 anymore, and therefore, will have to keep himself in form and busy by working on the simulators.
We couldn’t hope for a better ending to our story.
I spent 4 years of my life with you, and you changed it. We had a roller coaster ride with a lot of ups and downs, but we stayed together like a true family. Thanks to you I grew up a lot as a racing driver, but also as a person pic.twitter.com/fxc7ObWyFq— Théo Pourchaire (@TPourchaire) December 3, 2023
Oscar Piastri had a similar path to F1. He was forced to take a year off after winning the F2 championship in 2021. This is because the Formula 2 winner cannot take part in the championship anymore.
As a result, Piastri spent the whole of 2022 being a reserve driver for Alpine, working on the simulators and being trackside to learn from the drivers. Piastri finally then got his break in 2023 with McLaren after the Woking-based outfit indulged in a long-drawn battle with Alpine regarding the Australian’s contract.
Piastri hasn’t looked back since then, putting in some exceptional performances throughout the 2023 season. The 2021 F2 Champion managed to win a sprint race in his rookie season itself and claimed two podiums as well. Hence, it seems quite evident why Pourchaire sees Piastri as an inspiration.
Theo Pourchaire has been an exceptional junior driver
Theo Pourchaire has been exceptional in the junior categories. The French driver participated in the FIA F3 Championship in 2020, finishing in second place behind Oscar Piastri. He then made the jump up to F2 in 2021 and after a year of learning, started putting in the performances in 2022.
Another name for the history books
Theo Pourchaire is the 2023 @Formula2 champion!!! #AbuDhabiGP #F2 @TPourchaire pic.twitter.com/AvgrRKOZXd
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 26, 2023
Pourchaire claimed second place in F2 in 2022 and finally, the next year, he finally managed to claim the title. As a result, he was also linked to Alfa Romeo regarding a possible move. There were speculations that he could replace Guanyu Zhou.
However, the Chinese driver survived. Most people in the paddock believe it has more to do with the sponsors Zhou brings in, rather than his results. Zhou had quite a mediocre year in 2023, scoring just six points, in comparison to the 10 scored by his more experienced teammate Valtteri Bottas.
