Théo Pourchaire visiting Indianapolis, but why?

A simple tweet, a simple Instagram story, can often and quickly raise a few questions. So when Theo Pourchaire posted his presence in Indianapolis on his social networks, the first questions quickly appeared.

This Wednesday, the Habs posted two photos of him at the airport of the American city, plus a video in the city center. To this, we must add a tweet “ Indianapolis is cool » he who has always loved Uncle Sam's country. So why this detour to the United States in the middle of the season when he is competing on the other side of the world, in Japan in Super Formula?

A complicated start to the year, any avenues to explore for the future?

Having left for the land of the Rising Sun, the reigning champion of F2 did not get off to a good start. During the first round, Théo Pourchaire suffered a lot, notably from the lack of pace of the Team Impul cars of which he is one of the two representatives along with Yuji Kunimoto.

At Suzuka, a track that he had nevertheless been able to file twice before the first round last March, could not hope for anything, taking the door in Q1 before finishing 18^e race. Without tongue in cheek, the Grassois had not hidden his frustration, ensuring be " a little worried » for the course of the 2024 financial year. Worried to the point of already starting to prepare for the sequel?

IndyCar still in the back of my mind

This visit then appears at a time when opportunities could soon present themselves to him in IndyCar, and that its future in F1 is still clogged at Sauber. Perhaps even as early as 2024 since at present, many teams are facing some logistical problems with the drivers.

Can we think about freelancing at McLaren ? The question has the merit of being asked since Arrow McLaren is not yet guaranteed the return to competition of David Malukas, victim of a broken hand during a mountain bike outing and absent from the first two meetings of the 2024 campaign. In Saint Petersburg then more recently at the Thermal Club, Callum Ilott played the firefighter on duty.

However, the Briton will not be able to return for a third time – in the event of another withdrawal from Malukas – since he will be requisitioned at Imola (April 21) for the WEC (Porsche 963 No. 12 of JOTA) while IndyCar occurs at the same time in Long Beach. Théo Pourchaire could then be a great fallback solution for Arrow McLaren, especially since he will be free from competition at this time, the Super Formula continuing its season on May 19 at Autopolis... even if for the moment everything is only speculation.

Other avenues exist for Théo Pourchaire in IndyCar. Dale Coyne Racing, which is entering two cars, has yet to announce who will drive the number 51 for the remainder of the year. Colin Braun drove it in St. Petersburg and in the Thermal Club event, but does not currently have a contract for the remainder of the season.

Dale Coyne, whose team started racing in 1984, has often accustomed us to offering shared seats over the same season. This is also the case in his other car this year, since the number 18 sees Jack Harvey and Nolan Siegel successively behind the wheel.

If Dale Coyne Racing is based in Chicago, Illinois, the team was present for testing days in Indianapolis recently, and will be there again on April 10 and 11 for preliminary testing for the 500 Miles. The Honda simulator is also located in the capital of Indiana.

Desires for expansion for certain teams?

Two teams entered only in the Indianapolis 500 may want to expand their presence to other races this year. Abel Motorsports, the team that entered RC Enerson in the Indy 500 last year, is now in possession of a chassis and could enter several races on road circuits before a full-time program in 2025. If Enerson would be the logical choice, no driver has yet been confirmed on the team's side.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is in the same situation. The team will enter Ryan Hunter-Reay and Conor Daly at the Indy 500, but boss Dennis Reinbold would still like to enter more races again. Founded in 2000, the team raced full-time until 2013, before only participating in the Indy 500 since 2014. Only 2020 marked a change in this policy, with four races in total.

Finally, a fourth car could take to the track for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for several events this season. This car is in principle assigned to Jüri Vips, who drove for the team at the end of last season. Not selected in number 30 (driven by Pietro Fittipaldi) this year, the Estonian is nevertheless still part of the team, if we are to believe Bobby Rahal, who spoke to this effect last October.

And if Prema…

What if Prema, whose IndyCar desires are real, arrived this year for some freelance work? Recently, our colleagues at Racer have confirmed that the Italian team will indeed join the championship in 2025 with two cars and a partnership with Chevrolet.

To best prepare for this arrival, the Rosin family structure could be tempted by an appearance from 2024 in order to gain experience. IndyCar could also adopt a franchise system for the 2025 season. Prior IndyCar experience could help Prema qualify for rounds if a pre-qualifying system were to be implemented.

The track is however a little more vague since Racer indicates that the Grisignano di Zocco team would consider arriving with an experienced driver in the discipline and another who has climbed the ranks from single-seater to F2… under the colors of Prema . However, Théo Pourchaire has never ridden for the Transalpins.

Unless in the end, Théo Pourchaire is simply present for the upcoming Indiana Pacers match against the Oklahoma City Thunder… But that would make a hell of a trip for a basketball match!

Gonzalo Forbes and Michaël Duforest

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