After an interesting sprint race yesterday, Théo Pourchaire delivered a solid Grand Prix this morning in the Principality.
Starting third this morning for the long race, the Frenchman was highly motivated to repeat the feat of 2021. With a good start, the driver from Grasse was slightly squeezed by his teammate. Behind him, Jack Doohan tried to take advantage at Sainte-Dévote, but the ART GP driver held his ground and maintained his starting position.
It seemed that the race would not change unless there was an incident. And it was Jack Doohan who ended up in the barriers at the top of the Casino climb.
The leaders took the opportunity to pit stop. The two ART GP drivers pitted one after the other, causing a moment of panic among the mechanics. Théo Pourchaire was affected by a slightly slow pit stop, but he did not lose his position under the Safety Car.
Eventually, the race management deployed the red flag. After a few minutes of interruption, Fréderik Vesti, who started from pole position, restarted the race in the lead. Behind him, a fierce battle ensued between the ART GP teammates. Ultimately, a Drive Through penalty for Victor Martins allowed Théo Pourchaire to move into second position. This was due to excessive speed under the safety car that endangered the track marshals.
The race concluded with this prestigious round of the world championship, marking a third podium finish in the Principality for the driver from Grasse. At the end of this weekend, Théo Pourchaire remains second in the world championship, now behind Vesti, who takes the lead with a five-point advantage over the Maralpin driver.
