As expected at the end of last season, Théo Pourchaire, crowned vice-champion of the F3 world, has earned his promotion to the category just below F1! And it’s logically with the team that saw him grow (ART Grand Prix) that he will compete in the entirety of the coming season.
It was an open secret. Théo Pourchaire, the young hopeful of French motorsport, originally from Grasse, officially announced this morning his signing with the French team ART Grand Prix for the 2021 season. Excellent news for the 17-year-old who is taking a new step in his very young career, having been crowned vice-champion of the world in his first F3 season during the previous season.
Having already transitioned to Formula 2 at the end of the season to acclimatize better, Théo participated in the last two events of the season with HWA. This experience will allow him to start 2021 more confidently in the team that afforded him his first successes (two wins and eight podiums) in the lower category.
As for ambitions, they will undoubtedly be high without having a mandatory objective. The French team ART GP has a solid background in F2 with over 200 wins across all categories. But the team, based in Villeneuve-la-Guyard in the Yonne region, is especially known for having groomed great champions like Nico Rosberg (F2 world champion in 2005 and F1 in 2016), Nico Hulkenberg (GP2 champion in 2009, 178 F1 GPs), Stoffel Vandoorne (champion in 2015, Mercedes F1 test driver), Nick De Vries (F2 champion in 2019), and the legend Lewis Hamilton, who trained with the French team in 2006 before becoming one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.
At just 17 years old, Théo Pourchaire will be the youngest driver on the starting grid, as was the case last year in F3. This precocious talent will be skillfully managed by the French team led by Sébastien Philippe to nurture this raw gem of French motorsport. We are left to discover the name of his future teammate, who should be announced in the coming days.
The season is set to begin on the weekend of March 26th at Sakhir (Bahrain), a track he knows well!
