A new one-year deal for Zhou and exercising a contract extension possibility for Bottas has left Sauber junior Pourchaire to remain put as reserve driver.
Pourchaire received the 2019 German F4 crown, was the 2020 F3 runner-up and ranked second in F2 in 2022. He’s poised to seal the 2023 title in Abu Dhabi, main Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti by 25 factors forward of the finale.
Pourchaire will be part of the previous two F2 champions Felipe Drugovich and Oscar Piastri by lacking out on an instantaneous F1 promotion. Nevertheless, a race and attainable check programme look seemingly, in response to Sauber managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
Assessing Pourchaire’s future F1 choices, the Italian lawyer mentioned: “We’re able to make a deal.
“We’re discussing collectively which would be the finest racing programme for him to be prepared to leap into the F1 automobile. No doorways are closed for him sooner or later.
“We have now seen with Felipe Drugovich… Piastri as nicely that, after one yr in Method 2, if there’s not precise likelihood to be a race driver, this does not exclude the chance for the workforce to nominate sooner or later.”
Drugovich, a contender for the Alfa seat alongside Bottas, has served as an Aston Martin reserve driver. He has reportedly turned down IndyCar provides and is regarded as a number one candidate to replace Edoardo Mortara at the Maserati Formula E team.
Piastri, in the meantime, undertook an in depth F1 check programme for Alpine in a 2021 automobile earlier than his fractious change to McLaren for 2023.
Theo Pourchaire, Alfa Romeo C42
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alunni Bravi mentioned Sauber would contemplate an analogous check programme for Pourchaire however that funds for the Swiss squad often is the limiting issue.
“We simply want to have a look at what’s the finest programme for him,” he continued.
“We would like him to remain near the F1 workforce as a result of this yr we requested him to be absolutely targeted in Method 2 and he is doing nicely.
“I believe and I hope that he’ll win the championship in Abu Dhabi.
“Possibly we will additionally see for him which would be the finest to be prepared and to be ready.
“We do not have an {old} automobile like Aston Martin, like McLaren, or Mercedes to do a correct testing programme for a driver.
“This can be a large limitation – possibly this shall be out there for him subsequent yr.
“We’re discussing internally. After all, budget-wise, that is one thing that for a workforce is kind of costly, however we wish to see all of the alternatives. For a driver like him, the doorways are open.”
To fulfil the requirement to discipline a rookie in not less than two apply classes, Pourchaire will seemingly drive the 2023 Alfa F1 automobile in FP1 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.