Sauber junior Theo Pourchaire will make his Formula 1 practice debut at the United States Grand Prix later this month when he competes for Alfa Romeo in first practice.
The 19-year-old Frenchman, currently second in the FIA Formula 2 points standings, will make his debut at the Circuit of The Americas in the Alfa Romeo C42 after winning in a private test at the Hungaroring last August drove a 2019 specification Alfa.
He will replace Valtteri Bottas in the process, with Guanyu Zhou’s debut in Bahrain counting toward one of the two rookie sessions the team must provide. Alfa Romeo also announced that Pourchaire would be promoted to reserve driver for 2023, after Robert Kubica took over that role earlier this year.
Pourchaire on F1 debut: ‘Dream comes true’
“I’m really looking forward to making my free practice debut in Austin,” says Pourchaire, who has already won three races in Bahrain, Imola and Spa in his second season in the Formula 2 championship.
“It will be my second time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, but in a way it will feel like a first because this time it will be during an official Grand Prix session It feels like a dream come true and I want to thank Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN for putting their trust in me and offering me this great opportunity.”
“I’m excited to be out on track and I’ll make sure to make the most of it and do my best to help the team prepare for the United States Grand Prix.”
Team boss Vasseur: “Impressed by his development”
Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur praises Pourchaire’s progress since joining the Sauber Academy in 2019 and after finishing second in the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship behind Oscar Piastri and last season became the youngest Formula 2 winner of all time after his victory in Monaco.
“Theo has shown great performances this season, as he has in previous years,” said Vasseur. “We have been working closely with him as a member of our academy for almost four years now and have been impressed by his constant progress and development as a driver and, just as importantly, as a person.”
“We are delighted that he will be able to do his first free practice session next week. It is a well deserved chance and I am confident that he will once again impress us with his performances as he will help the team to get ahead of the Grand Prix of the… United States to collect valuable data.”
Who will still make his F1 debut alongside Pourchaire in Austin
Pourchaire’s debut was actually scheduled for his home French Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix prompted Formula 2 to move its support race to the French Grand Prix. Vasseur decided that Pourchaire would not drive the Alfa Romeo in events that would clash with a Formula 2 race weekend.
Pourchaire won’t be the only rookie to feature in FT1 at Austin. 2021 Formula 2 runner-up Robert Schwarzman will drive for Ferrari for the first time, while Logan Sargeant will compete for Williams.
Antonio Giovinazzi, meanwhile, will be completing his final assignment for Haas, who also announced this week that Pietro Fittipaldi will be driving in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. Although the Brazilian has already contested two Formula 1 races – as a replacement for Romain Grosjean after his fire accident – and is therefore, strictly speaking, no longer a newcomer, his two appearances will be counted as those of a rookie.