Théo Pourchaire found himself this weekend in the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama, where the Barber Grand Prix was held in IndyCar.
For his second race in IndyCar, Théo Pourchaire started with hard tires for this start of the competition, with a three-stop strategy. The Grassois managed to secure the 24th position on the starting grid. At the beginning of the race, the young rookie gained two positions, placing himself in 22nd. Unfortunately, he was overtaken by his teammate Pato O’Ward. His first pit stop on the sixth lap worked to his advantage as Pietro Fittipaldi (Dale Coyne Racing) went off the track. He then took the opportunity to make a fairly well-executed pit stop, positioning himself in 22nd place.
At the wheel of his Mclaren Arrow, for this beginning of the race, Théo Pourchaire showed considerable caution. The Barber circuit in Alabama is tricky; it’s a track of long braking under load, delicate and winding. Yet Pourchaire managed to adapt well to his car and made very few mistakes. On the 24th lap, he decided to attack Jack Harvey and snatched 19th place from him.
A Mixed Second Half of the Race
With numerous pit stops, Théo Pourchaire gained 11 places and found himself 7th. On the 35th lap, he entered the pits as rain began to fall. He rejoined far back on the race grid, in 23rd place. He gradually climbed up in the ranking. During this first Full Course Yellow stint, his teammate Alexander Rossi had to abandon his race following an accident. This favored Pourchaire, who moved up to 16th, gaining six places. In a battle with McLaughlin, the Grassois was outpaced by the New Zealand driver, ending up in 17th.
On the 57th lap, taking advantage of a yellow flag due to Sting Ray Robb’s accident, the Azuréen driver expertly completed his last stop of the 90 laps. In the last quarter of the race, he found himself in 23rd place. During the restart, number 6 managed to gain two places, positioning himself 21st. This was the moment Newgarden chose to attack Théo Pourchaire; unfortunately, he lost a position. However, he managed to climb back up in a few minutes to the 15th position.
With six laps to go, another yellow flag was deployed. At the restart, Théo Pourchaire caught up with his teammate Pato O’Ward. On the last lap, the Grassois struggled at turn number five and ultimately did not finish the race. A frustrating end for the Azuréen driver, but a performance that remains more than remarkable with a brand-new car and competition.
