Sure,
After a last-minute call from Arrow McLaren, Théo Pourchaire returns to Indycar for the qualifying and the race. A recap of his accelerated weekend in Toronto.
With Alexander Rossi injured, Théo Pourchaire is back. According to Indycar, Tony Kanaan called the driver from Grasse at 6 pm on Friday to inform him of his replacement. He then arrived in Toronto on Saturday around 1 pm.
His worst qualifying
With no track time or training on the Toronto street circuit, miracles could not be expected for Théo Pourchaire. Despite this, he did not crash the car and tried to push during his timed laps. He finished thirteenth in his group, 1.5 seconds off the leader. This placed him p26 on the starting grid for the Grand Prix the next day. Indycar commentators noted that the car had been significantly damaged by Alexander Rossi during his crash in free practice 2. It is possible that Théo Pourchaire’s car was not completely repaired and reassembled in optimal conditions.
A chaotic race, but a good result
The Toronto Grand Prix had barely started when two cars were already in the wall. Théo Pourchaire had gained two places at the start, so he gained two more. His first pit stop occurred on lap 21. He rejoined in p24. He gained a place four laps later with Ferrucci’s pit stop. On lap 45, there was a heated exchange with Sowery. Théo Pourchaire went wide trying to pass on the outside, nearly hitting the wall. Sowery lost the rear of his car in the next corner, allowing the French driver to pass him and reclaim twenty-second place. Many drivers pitted, which elevated him to nineteenth. He also pitted on lap 53 and rejoined in p23. A battle with Lundqvist on lap 57 caused the left rear wheel of the Grasse native’s car to touch the wall, resulting in a puncture. He managed to reach the pits and resume racing. He moved up to twenty-second due to an issue with Rosenqvist’s car. Simpson crashed into the wall, triggering a safety car. Upon the restart, a massive accident involving five cars led to a red flag. Théo Pourchaire was then the only Arrow McLaren on track. After another pit stop and a poor start, he dropped to sixteenth. Thanks to the accident involving McLaughlin and overtaking Sowery, Théo Pourchaire finished fourteenth.
