Andretti World’s COO Rob Edwards says there aren’t any ideas of increasing the present three-car effort to accommodate Sauber’s plans to maintain Theo Pourchaire on the IndyCar grid.
Pourchaire, the reigning Components 2 champion, was dropped by Arrow McLaren practically two weeks in the past after the group signed Nolan Siegel to a multi-year contract that started with the final IndyCar Collection spherical at Laguna Seca.
It was a shocking flip of occasions after the 20-year-old Frenchman was signed to drive for Arrow McLaren – who reached a mortgage cope with Sauber, with whom he’s a Components 1 reserve driver – for the rest of 2024 (apart from the Indianapolis 500) in Could.
That adopted him making two begins in alternative of the injured and since dropped David Malukas. Pourchaire confirmed promise over the subsequent three races, which included a career-best tenth on the streets of Detroit.
Regardless of solely operating 5 of the eight of the points-paying races, Pourchaire sits twenty fourth within the championship standings and solely 38 factors behind main Rookie of the 12 months candidate Linus Lundqvist in 18th.
Sauber F1 group consultant Alessandro Alunni Bravi confirmed to Motorsport.com final week there’s a want to maintain Pourchaire in IndyCar, and it’s actively searching for another experience for the ultimate 9 races of this season, in addition to discovering a house in North America’s premier open-wheel championship for 2025.
“We’re centered for him to have a robust 2025 program with the most effective IndyCar groups,” Alunni Bravi mentioned.
“This can be a very demanding championship, (with) completely different monitor layouts, monitor traits, a number of very skilled {and professional} drivers with particular data of the class.
“So, it is a good atmosphere for a driver to develop. Now we will not lose every other alternatives for him to race, as a result of for any driver simply the function of reserve driver will not be sufficient to maintain them in racing form.”
Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Photograph by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Photos
That led to intrigue within the IndyCar paddock, particularly since Andretti World has prospects of going racing in Components 1, that it would work out a mortgage cope with Sauber and add Pourchaire as a fourth entry for choose rounds for the rest of the season.
Though Edwards, Andretti World’s chief working officer, supplied reward for Pourchaire’s transition to Indy automobile racing, there aren’t any ideas of increasing the present three-car operation, one thing the group downsized to from 4 vehicles over the offseason.
“No,” Edwards instructed Motorsport.com. “He’s definitely a driver that we charge extremely, however we’re very set on the three-car program.
“We predict it’s bearing fruit and dealing within the course that we need to work and there isn’t a purpose for us to dilute that in the meanwhile.”
Whereas sympathetic towards Pourchaire’s state of affairs, Edwards believes sufficient was proven that he’ll get one other probability to land someplace on the grid.
“I feel he did an excellent job within the races that he did,” Edwards mentioned. “I’m certain if he’s affected person, and he perseveres, one other alternative will come his manner.”
