This week, Théo Pourchaire stepped into the role of a WEC driver, the World Endurance Championship, for his first race with Peugeot. The driver from Grasse dons a new hat after Formula 2, Super Formula, and IndyCar.
It had been a year since Théo Pourchaire was biding his time. Promoted to test driver for Peugeot, the driver from the French Riviera was engaged all season in ELMS, the stepping stone to the World Endurance Championship (WEC). After a series of impressive performances with Algarve Pro Racing, the announcement came in mid-September: he would race in WEC during the last round of the season in Bahrain and the following season. An announcement that thrilled the driver from Grasse: “racing at the highest level of endurance with a brand like Peugeot is a source of pride.”
Thus, this weekend, three weeks after his last race in ELMS, Théo Pourchaire donned his official Peugeot driver suit. Now teammate to the experienced Loïc Duval and Malthe Jakobsen, the driver from the French Riviera had to relearn everything during this race weekend. Even though he had already familiarized himself with the car during tests, racing in actual conditions is always different.
While the tests generally went well for car no. 94, Théo Pourchaire was ecstatic when his teammate Malthe Jakobsen managed to place the car in third position on the starting grid. A remarkable performance, especially since Peugeot doesn’t often play a leading role since its return to WEC. “I was very confident in the car for the qualification […] we have everything to achieve a good result, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed to finish the job tomorrow (Sunday).”
A Few Laps in the Lead for Théo Pourchaire’s Debut
Driven by the desire to do well, the driver from Grasse attacked this 8-hour challenge in Bahrain. After a first stint of a little over two hours by Loïc Duval, Théo Pourchaire took his turn in the car. Emerging in 4th position, the driver from the French Riviera remained cautious on his first laps on cold tires. He lost three positions, including one to the other Peugeot in the race. After a few minutes behind the wheel, the driver from Grasse familiarized himself with the traffic — an essential element in this championship — and managed to stay close to the Aston Martin ahead. After his first pit stop, he had to face his first safety car situation. Struggling during the restart, he lost a few more places, ending up eighth. Peugeot then decided to shift strategy to try to climb the rankings.
After nearly three hours of driving, Théo Pourchaire found himself leading the race for only a few minutes before handing over to Malthe Jakobsen. An experience that the Frenchman clearly enjoyed: “first WEC race weekend completed. I loved every lap behind the wheel of the Peugeot! A bit of bad luck strategy-wise placed us in the points, in 10th place. But the main goal was to learn, and I showed very good pace in the race. Looking forward to next year!”
Now, the wait will be long as the first round of the 2026 WEC championship will take place on March 28 in Qatar. A track that Théo Pourchaire will be discovering. Meanwhile, it’s time for behind-the-scenes work and developing this new car aiming for podiums in 2026.
