2023 F2 Champion Theo Pourchaire was McLaren Arrow’s latest sacking in IndyCar, with an AUTOhebdo interview stating that the Frenchman was fired over a phone call. The report also read that the Frenchman was “disgusted” by the team’s action, but as it turns out, things were taken out of context.
Pourchaire took to X to state, “I’ve read the article published on AUTOhebdo this week, and I’m disappointed in how grossly inaccurate my words and comments portrayed my interview.”
McLaren Arrow, the Woking-based outfit’s IndyCar team chose Nolan Siegel to replace Pourchaire. However, that doesn’t mean that things ended badly between him and McLaren. He revealed that the contract was terminated on good terms.
Statement : pic.twitter.com/gpJtajMfgO
— Théo Pourchaire (@TPourchaire) July 18, 2024
He added “There’s no question on Arrow McLaren’s stability in its partnerships and their funding. So for AUTOhebdo to include that in my interview, it’s absolutely false. I’m appreciative of the time l had with the team. There are no hard feelings, and I hope this helps correct the perception there’s been about the team and myself.”
Pourchaire joined McLaren’s IndyCar team midway into the season after David Malukas injured himself in a biking accident. He drove in April’s Long Beach Grand Prix and then Barber, Alabama before he was given a contract for the remainder of the season. Still, McLaren decided to sack him once they got Siegel onboard.
Why McLaren sacked Pourchaire
Tony Kanaan, Sporting Director of McLaren Arrows came out to reveal that the reason behind sacking Pourchaire wasn’t personal. The team had been looking at Siegel long before Pourchaire came in, but couldn’t sign the 19-year-old because of his Indy NXT commitments.
However, Siegel soon decided to step away from NXT after Road America, and Arrow, who had been looking for stability since Alex Palou‘s departure, decided to sign him. This, unfortunately, came at the cost of Pourchaire being sacked.
According to Motorsport, Kanaan said, “He didn’t do anything wrong. It was just a situation.. a call that we had to make. It wasn’t personal, it wasn’t because of his performance. He’s done whatever he could do. He wasn’t happy. But he understood.”
Kanaan also revealed that he spoke to Pourchaire on the phone, suggesting that they did part ways amicably.
