Andretti World’s COO Rob Edwards says there aren’t any ideas of increasing the present three-car effort to maintain Theo Pourchaire on the IndyCar grid.
Pourchaire, reigning Components 2 champion, was dropped by Arrow McLaren nearly two weeks ago after the team signed Nolan Siegel to a multi-year contract that started with on the final IndyCar spherical at Laguna Seca.
It was a shocking flip of occasions after the 20-year-old Frenchman was signed to drive for Arrow McLaren – who reached a mortgage cope with Sauber, with whom he’s a Components 1 reserve driver – for the rest of 2024 (aside from the Indianapolis 500) in Might.
That adopted him making two begins in alternative of the injured and since dropped David Malukas. Pourchaire confirmed promise over the following three races, which included a career-best tenth place on the streets of Detroit.
Regardless of solely operating 5 of the eight of the points-paying races, Pourchaire sits twenty fourth within the championship standings and solely 38 factors behind main Rookie of the 12 months candidate Linus Lundqvist in 18th.
Sauber F1 staff consultant Alessandro Alunni Bravi confirmed to Autosport final week a need to maintain Pourchaire in IndyCar, and it’s actively in search of an alternate experience for the ultimate 9 races of this season, in addition to discovering Pourchaire an IndyCar drive for 2025.
“We’re centered for him to have a robust 2025 programme with top-of-the-line IndyCar groups,” Alunni Bravi mentioned. “This can be a very demanding championship, [with] completely different observe layouts, observe traits, loads of very skilled {and professional} drivers with particular information of the class.
Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Picture by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Images
“So, it is a good atmosphere for a driver to develop. Now we won’t lose every other alternatives for him to race, as a result of for any driver simply the position of reserve driver shouldn’t be sufficient to maintain them in a very good racing form.”
That led to intrigue within the IndyCar paddock, particularly since Andretti World has prospects of going racing in Components 1, that it would work out a mortgage cope with Sauber and add Pourchaire as a fourth entry for choose rounds for the rest of the season.
Though Andretti’s Edwards provided reward for Pourchaire’s transition to IndyCar, there aren’t any ideas of increasing the present three-car operation, having downsized from 4 automobiles over the winter.
“No,” Edwards instructed Autosport. “He’s actually a driver that we fee extremely, however we’re very set on the three-car programme.
“We predict it’s bearing fruit and dealing within the path that we wish to work and there isn’t a cause for us to dilute that in the intervening time.”
Whereas sympathetic towards Pourchaire’s scenario, Edwards believes sufficient was proven that he’ll get one other likelihood to land someplace on the grid.
“I believe he did an excellent job within the races that he did,” Edwards mentioned. “I’m certain if he’s affected person, and he perseveres, one other alternative will come his manner.”