We left him at Suzuka on March 10, in the gray, the mine closed warning that the Super Formula season was going to be long after his 18th place during the inaugural round of the Japanese Single-seater Championship where he is entered this season. And we found him last week on the other side of the Atlantic, with a smile and a lock of hair more Hollywood than ever in Long Beach, in the southern suburbs of Los Angeles. In the meantime, the Formula 2 champion had received a call from Arrow McLaren, the Indycar team which must deal with the injury of its owner, David Malukas, injured in a wrist in the off-season and still absent after having undergone surgery .
To find such a smile, Pourchaire had especially experienced his first race weekend in the North American championship with a beautiful eleventh place, in the wheels of his teammate Alexander Rossi, on one of the trickiest city tracks in the season. “I had an extraordinary weekend. I am proud and relieved also because it was important to perform well and not make any mistakes,” he said during an online press conference organized from the McLaren workshops. in Indianapolis.
Malukas still absent, Pourchaire returns this week in a completely different context: in Barber (first tests Friday evening and race Sunday from 6:40 p.m. French time), light years from LA, in the heart of Alabama, “deep” America. “The positive point is that I have always loved the United States,” he said. I feel at home here. Having this opportunity in Indycar allows me to travel and see the country a little, I love it. But I wouldn’t have much time to go sightseeing in Alabama. I hope to come back in the future just to visit but there it will be directly towards the circuit upon arriving at the airport. »
Malukas’ absence could be prolonged…
As for the circuit, it will go from a slow, flat and narrow urban route to a real hilly and fast road course. “I was able to do a bit of simulator work on it but it will be a discovery. It seems complicated but I can’t wait to test the Indycar in fast corners where the aero is used more, he analyzed. In any case, I won’t have much time with just two free practice sessions. The positive point is that, given past results, the circuit suits the team better. » He will also have the opportunity to make the horses of the IR18 (the current Indycar model) talk. “The power impressed me at first,” he smiled. Coming from Super Formula which is not very powerful but has a lot of aero, here it’s the opposite with a very powerful car but which is quite heavy with less aero. It surprised me at the first acceleration and I was hesitant when leaving the pits to press hard. »
It will also be a new opportunity to showcase himself while he is looking for a medium-term future and the doors to F1 seem rather closed to him at the moment. “I still have time ahead of me. People often forget that I am only 20 years old. I know I can have a few more opportunities to race in F1 if I am a good driver. And a championship like Indycar would be the best place to showcase myself. It’s a great championship so why not come and ride full time in the future? It’s an option! »
This possibility could manifest itself in an even closer future. Asked last week about the timing of Malukas’ return, McLaren bosses simply said that his injury had turned out to be more serious than expected, prompting a convalescence whose duration is still uncertain. And perhaps opening the door to a slightly longer lease for Pourchaire.
