Vasseur “more than satisfied” with Pourchaire’s work in Austin

Successful first for Theo Pourchaire en Formula 1. The 19-year-old Frenchman took part in his first official session by taking to the track during Free Practice 1 of the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Protected by the Sauber academy, the Grassois was able to complete around twenty laps aboard the C42 on the Texan track, thus recovering valuable data for his team. Absolutely delighted with his first appearance on a race weekend, Théo Pourchaire also satisfied his team director, Frédéric Vasseur. The French boss of the Italian-Swiss team did not fail to congratulate his young foal during the press conference of the main team Saturday.

“First of all, it's a good thing that Theo said it was the best hour of his life, because I think we have to keep in mind that they have to enjoy it first, declared Frédéric Vasseur. On top of that, I think he did a really good job, even though it was his first time in the car. » The young French talent was able to discover the 2022 version single-seaters, which he had only been able to drive through the simulator.Hinwil. " A year ago he did a test day with the C32, a 10-year-old car, and it was not an easy challenge. But he did very well.", recalls Vasseur.

“The stint that Pourchaire did with the high fuel was very good” reveals Vasseur

Théo Pourchaire, very cautious during this first practice session, set the 18th time in EL1. An unrevealing time and ranking, which were not the objective of the session. The current runner-up in the championship Formula 2 focused on data acquisition and learning the track and car. “He used a single game to make the comparison between low fuel and high fuel. And in the end, the stint he did with the high fuel was very strong. But I am more than satisfied with the work accomplished and Theo’s feedback” confided Frédéric Vasseur, co-founder of the ART GP team in which Pourchaire cut his teeth in F3 then in F2.

Next season, if the seats are already taken at Alfa Romeo with Valtteri Botta and Guanyu-Zhou, Théo Pourchaire will have to be content with the role of reserve pilot. His 2023 program has not yet been revealed, the young Frenchman could return for a third campaign in Formula 3 or go into exile in Japan, in Super Formula.

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