Written by Archie O’Reilly
“I want one thing right now: a bed with air conditioner. And sleep.”
It had been a wild day in the life of Theo Pourchaire. And one that started off in a relaxing manner transpired to be far from that level of tranquillity.
He was unwinding and at the beginning of a holiday period in the French Riviera, preparing to sleep ahead of another day of relaxation after flying back to his home country to enjoy the French summer. That was until a call came through from Arrow McLaren sporting director Tony Kanaan.
What ensued was undoubtedly the most frantic day of Pourchaire’s young racing career and a continuation of one of IndyCar’s most astonishing, soap opera-like driver market tales.
Pourchaire has always been a keen watcher of IndyCar racing, spanning such major events for French motorsport as Simon Pagenaud’s Indianapolis 500 win in 2019. And the reigning Formula 2 champion finally got his own shot at racing stateside back in April.
His 2024 season was initially intended to consist of a Super Formula campaign in Japan alongside his Sauber Formula 1 reserve driver commitments. But the ball started rolling on a late-notice delve into the IndyCar realm as Arrow McLaren searched for a replacement for the injured David Malukas for the famed Long Beach street race.
With previous deputy Callum Ilott unavailable, Pourchaire was called upon and impressed with an 11th-place finish on debut in the No.6 Chevy - a display that transpired to be the kickstarter for a full-time IndyCar journey with the papaya team. Or so he thought.
He returned again for Barber and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course event, then sat out the Indy 500 given his lack of oval experience before knuckling down with a rest-of-the-season deal, such was the standard shown in his first few outings.
He forwent his Super Formula campaign after one race and kicked off this permanent stint at Arrow McLaren with a maiden top-10 result in Detroit after qualifying a team-best seventh.
Road America was then a case of unfulfilled potential in Pourchaire’s eyes, though he still came home 13th. At this point, he was already third in the running for Rookie of the Year despite having missed two events.
Next up? The event he had been looking forward to the most.
A tweet at the start of the Laguna Seca race week confirmed the 20-year-old’s heightened anticipation for the track he earmarked as his favourite on the American circuit from his time on racing video games.
But that opportunity to drive in Monterey would never come.
The abrupt dismissal of Pourchaire for no clear reason - certainly not performative - to make way for Indy NXT graduate and fellow rookie Nolan Siegel caught the IndyCar world off-guard. That included the seemingly unknowing Pourchaire.
It came a matter of days after Siegel had won in the LMP2 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown’s United Autosports team. Kanaan’s admiration for Siegel was also previously made clear as he went out of his way to try and mentor the then-Dale Coyne Racing driver through Indy 500 Last Chance Qualifying.
It had become clear at this point that Siegel would not be continuing his sophomore Indy NXT campaign after a two-win and third-place championship rookie season in 2023. He won the season-opener of the 2024 campaign in St. Petersburg but had fallen away from the championship lead somewhat, largely owing to not being able to take the start in Detroit.
Siegel had already dabbled into IndyCar in the Thermal Club exhibition event and a subsequent competitive debut in Long Beach with Coyne. He did not qualify for the Indy 500 but an honourable qualifications effort after an airborne Fast Friday practice crash, with a ‘win it or bin it’ final Bump Day lap, did not do his reputation any harm.
A matter of weeks on, enter Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Pourchaire’s career-best result in only his fourth race in Detroit could have been even better if not for a minor, seemingly inconsequential collision with Juncos’ Agustin Canapino. But what followed was a despicable stream of abuse and death threats aimed towards Pourchaire - not adequately condemned and partially fueled by Canapino and team.
The following race at Road America, only one week later, saw Canapino advised to step aside last-minute for mental health reasons after the torrent of the post-Detroit week. So Juncos turned to a call-up for Siegel.
By this point, an existing business relationship between Juncos and Arrow McLaren had been severed as a result of the events of the week prior. But Arrow McLaren evidently already had a keen eye on Siegel.
The 19-year-old from Palo Alto, California stepped out of his Indy NXT ride mid-practice to make an unexpected appearance in IndyCar practice. And from the moment it was decided he could not do the double duty of running both NXT and IndyCar on the same weekend, attention from the Siegel camp switched to making a move up to IndyCar.
This was an opportunity that Arrow McLaren saw as too good to miss.
And so Siegel became the fourth driver signed to the No.6 Chevy for the season - Alex Palou before he opted to stay at Chip Ganassi Racing and Malukas the others - and Pourchaire was shuffled aside with little warning.
Kanaan has since been on record on Peacock suggesting Sauber’s ownership of Pourchaire essentially left room for manoeuvring in their lineup.
Little had come to light about the matter for the best part of the month - a period in which Arrow McLaren confirmed yet another driver switch for 2025 as Christian Lundgaard replaces Alexander Rossi in the No.7 Chevy. But Pourchaire went on record with French media the week prior to Toronto, presented to have made some significant claims.
The article from AUTOhebdo, which has since been deleted, included details such as a multi-year deal having been signed by Pourchaire. He also supposedly made comments about financial issues relating to the team losing a major sponsor.
This sparked a lot of adverse reaction on social media. Former Indy 500 winner Kanaan, interpreted by many to be at the head of Arrow McLaren’s driver decisions, caught a brunt of criticism on X and was keen to shut down a number of critics.
On Thursday, Pourchaire released a statement suggesting that the article portrayed his words in a “grossly inaccurate” way. He wrote that the relationship ended on “amicable terms” and that Arrow McLaren have “held up and respected all areas of the contract” while supporting him in trying to get back into IndyCar or another form of racing.
“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,” the statement continued. “I’m appreciative of the time I had with the team, there are no hard feelings, and I hope this corrects the perception there’s been about the team and myself.”
Pourchaire later elaborated on the article in a first meeting with the media since the initial divorce.
“It’s a bit unfortunate,” he said. “As I said, I’m thankful to Arrow McLaren for the opportunity they gave me in Long Beach back in April, giving me the chance to drive in IndyCar.
“We decided to finish the season. Unfortunately, they replaced me. I was disappointed, of course. That’s the reality. But the rest... I don’t know anything about the rest. For me, what I said is just I’m happy for the opportunity. I was just a little bit disappointed, of course.”
One could understand scepticism as to the maintenance of the relationship. But Kanaan promptly tweeted about a phone call with Pourchaire after the statement released on Thursday, saying “we will keep between us” the conversation “and put the plan into action soon”.
It can be said with certainty that this “plan” of Kanaan’s was not what promptly followed in opening practice in Toronto. But while not the plan, there was certainly a plan that had to be put into action on Friday night after a crash for Alexander Rossi at Turn 8 saw his steering wheel snap awkwardly and left the driver of the No.7 Chevy with a broken right thumb.
Logic would have suggested Arrow McLaren opt to field a driver on the ground in Toronto as Rossi’s replacement. But that is when a midnight phone call came through to Pourchaire from Kanaan.
No matter recent events, Pourchaire evidently still holds respect for the team that could yet have kickstarted an IndyCar career for him. And he was the driver that the team opted to turn to as Rossi’s replacement, providing another twist in IndyCar’s never-ending saga.
“They called me… I said: ‘Yes, of course I want to race,’” Pourchaire said. “It’s like a family now because I know them very well, everybody in the team. I arrived one hour before quali, 45 minutes before quallie - I don’t know exactly. But everybody was really happy to see me and I was really happy to see them again. It’s good people here.”
The fact that Arrow McLaren decided to field Pourchaire spoke to their continued admiration of him. Or at least their willingness to continue to showcase his talents to aid his future.
It was a logistical nightmare for both the team and Pourchaire to fly him from Nice to Toronto, ultimately via Frankfurt. He would have to miss the Saturday practice session and head into qualifying blind on a track he did not know at all, necessitating a lot of preparation on his journey to Canada (and not a lot of sleep to boot).
Other moving parts on the team’s side involved an overnight drive to Toronto to deliver Pourchaire’s essentials to enable him to drive. They would then have to meet him at the airport, travel together via train to a car, which would eventually take him to the track with an hour to spare before getting on track for qualifying.
“The last 15 or 18 hours, maybe, is crazy,” Pourchaire said after qualifying. “It was about midnight in France when Tony Kanaan called me. Of course, I saw Practice One - I’m watching IndyCar every session. I saw the crash of Alex. I didn’t know he was injured. I was like: ‘Yeah, he [is] getting out of the car.’”
Pourchaire said at the time, largely in gest, that he may await a call from Arrow McLaren but thought little of that concept. Until it actually came to fruition, that was.
“I was at the restaurant,” he said. “I told my girlfriend: ‘Maybe McLaren is going to call me if he’s injured.’ Half an hour later, Tony is calling me. ‘This is strange.’ ‘Theo, can you come as quick as possible? We need you right now in Toronto.’ ‘It’s midnight in France, Tony. I’m not sure I can find a flight and come quick.’
“But I’m here. I wish Alex a speedy recovery. I know he broke a thumb. It’s not easy to come here straight in quali but it’s fine. I’m happy.”
It was a shame, as Pourchaire noted, to see his return come at the expense of another competitor. But misfortune for one is cruelly a frequent way that opportunities and fortune come to another. And sat in the Toronto media centre after qualifying, Pourchaire’s trademark smile - back after a tough few weeks - could not be wiped away..
The stress of the 18 hours prior weighed but would not dampen his fatigued spirits.
“The most challenging part is the stress first,” Pourchaire said. “It’s very stressful. I didn’t drive a race car since before Laguna Seca. I knew it was going to be tight to drive in quali. Quali, you have 10 minutes and you have to do the job. You have to be really quick, learn the track.
“I knew there was a hybrid system in the car I had to manage. It was very stressful. The jet lag - I just came back from Indy to France and now France to Toronto. I don’t really know where I am actually. I mean, it’s part of the life of a racing driver. I enjoy it. I’m super happy to be here. Even if I’m tired, I’m super happy.”
Expectations were held low for Pourchaire - a driver that has high expectations of himself - with only nine qualifying laps and the half-hour warm-up session before the race.
As well as the “fun” but unfamiliar hybrid system, which he had only tested on the Milwaukee Mile oval, Pourchaire also had a different steering wheel layout - tailored to Rossi in the No.7 Chevy - to get used to. And his first taste of this on a brand-new track to him came while others were in the midst of qualifying.
To get to speed with only a couple of sighter laps and ultimately qualify ahead of one car in his qualifying group was a quite remarkable effort from Pourchaire. And a big part of that, along with Pourchaire’s clear talent, was the preparation put in while venturing to Toronto.
“It’s a very difficult track, very bumpy,” Pourchaire said. “Tony called me and I told him: ‘I’m fine, I want to race, of course. If the race engineers can send me as quick as possible onboards, data, that would be good.’ That’s what they did.
“I just didn’t sleep in France. I went at 5am in to the airport, was watching all night the onboard, data. In the plane I decided to sleep a little bit. That was not easy. Still, I could sleep maybe like four hours, five hours.
“That’s crazy because I was still in Indianapolis three days ago, decided to come back to France because it’s summer in France and I was not racing in Indy any more. It’s unfortunate what happened to Alex. I think his broken thumb is painful but it’s not a big, big injury. Maybe he will be back soon, so it’s good.”
Pourchaire’s priority in the race was “to bring the car home” before Rossi hopefully returns to the wheel at World Wide Technology Raceway after a three-weekend break for the Olympics. And his performance was impressive.
Starting 26th, Pourchaire was by no means off the pace in the race. He did fall a lap down after a duel with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Linus Lundqvist resulted in minor wall contact and a puncture. Though he weathered most of the race’s attrition to make up a total of 12 places and brought home a highly creditable 14th-place finish.
If Rossi - recovering in Indianapolis - is not prepared to race after the brief upcoming break, Pourchaire is ready to step in again. Part of the team’s efforts into initially getting him up to speed before his release was a maiden oval test at Gateway. He gained further oval experience at Milwaukee.
“I’m here for the team,” Pourchaire said. “They gave me the opportunity to show myself in IndyCar. Of course, I was disappointed when I learned that they were replacing me. But it’s part of the game, part of the sport… It’s a bit like my family in IndyCar. I know them very well.
“In case Alex is not ready, [I] will be still here waiting. If the team calls me, of course I’m not going to refuse racing. I love IndyCar - it’s a great championship. I was home waiting for more than probably four, five weeks. So right now I’m just super happy to drive. It feels like a dream.”
Where Pourchaire’s long-term future lies remains unclear. But his rapid adaptation to IndyCar, particularly impressively excelling on street circuits markedly different to those at home in Europe, suggests he is one of the most viable options in a bustling market of free agents.
“I just love IndyCar,” he said. “I love racing.”
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