EL1 – Austin: Pourchaire makes his debut, Sainz best time

It's been a day since Theo Pourchaire will not soon forget. In Austin, this Friday October 21, 2022, the Frenchman took part in his first free practice session in Formula 1. As a simulator pilot at Alfa Romeo, the Tricolore was in fact entrusted with the car de Valtteri Bottas to make his official debut in F1 as part of the two EL1s reserved for young drivers. 

After a first installation lap, Théo remained in the pits for a good twenty-five minutes, since the mechanics had to dismantle the rear box. Thirty-five minutes from the end of the session, he was finally able to return to the track, with a single set of Medium tires at his disposal. Lap after lap, he managed to improve his time, and came out of his car with a smile from ear to ear. He ranks 18th, in the middle of the fifth of one-day pilots which are Alex Palou (16th), Robert Shwartzman (17th), Logan sargeant (19th) and Antonio Giovinazzi (20th). 

Sainz dominates the session

The last one, frankly, was not to his advantage. As in 2017 in Hungary where he had already driven in EL1 with Haas, the protégé of the Team Ferrari lost the car after… just eight minutes of session, in the demanding esses of sector 1. The driver of Formula E remained stuck in the wall for a good minute, trying to get going again at all costs, to the point of literally burning the clutch and aborting his session.

Not sure that the Italian has put all the chances on his side with a view to the seat he is aiming for in 2023... Note the good session of Robert Shwartzman, 16th in the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, but who could have approached the top 10 if he had not been blocked by Max Verstappen in the last turn on his final flying lap. 

Carlos Sainz, ephemeral king of Texas! © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

Among the big names, it was Carlos Sainz who dominated the session. Max Verstappen, always the quickest to get into the rhythm, was in the lead for forty minutes, before Lance stroll only beat him for two thousandths. Then it was the Spaniard's turn, once the soft tires were on, to set the best mark with an improvement of 6/10th. Max Verstappen still reduced the gap at the end of the session (+0″224) while Lewis Hamilton showed that the Mercedes was comfortable despite the bumpy surface of the Texan track (3rd). The Batavian did not fail to complain about a too weak front end and asked if there was not a problem with the car. 

On the French side, in addition to Théo Pourchaire, Pierre Gasly ranks 8th whileEsteban Ocon, his future teammate, is 11th. As a reminder, the second free practice session, which will be held at 00 a.m. French time, will last an hour and a half, since it will be devoted to testing Pirelli's prototype tires with a view to 2023. The four drivers who left their car at a rookie in EL1, like Charles Leclerc, will still have 45 minutes of traditional program to catch up on their driving delay.