Champion my brother! Frenchman Théo Pourchaire won on Sunday the Formula 2 championship, the antechamber of Formula 1, at the end of the final race of the season run in Abu Dhabi. Fifth at the finish, the ART GP driver, leader of the championship before the fourteenth and final round of 2023, finished behind his last rival for the title, Frederik Vesti (Prema), 3rd. The Dane’s performance was however insufficient to be titled.
Winner the day before the sprint – which brings more championship points – Vesti was sixteen points behind the Frenchman, seventh – while 26 points still remained to be distributed on Sunday. “It was a complicated weekend (…) you can sometimes see me in difficulty but I never give up, I wanted to win this title,” reacted the 20-year-old from Grasse on arrival, who won his first title in F2.
Pourchaire will remain reserve driver in F1 next year
Pourchaire, who succeeds the Brazilian Felipe Drugovich, has scored ten podiums this season (sprints and main races combined) – including only one victory, as well as five pole positions. On the French list, he succeeds Pierre Gasly, currently in F1, titled in 2016 in the GP2 category (which became Formula 2 in 2017).
The protégé of the Sauber Academy, the academy for young Alfa Romeo drivers currently in Formula 1, was competing in his third season in F2 this year. According to the regulations in force, the crowned driver in F2 is not authorized to participate in the championship for the two seasons following his title. Next year, Pourchaire will retain his role as reserve driver in F1 for Alfa Romeo which will change its name since Sauber announced the end of its partnership with its title sponsor at the end of the year. The new team name has not yet been announced.