IndyCar News: Pourchaire slams McLaren IndyCar team

After excerpts from the AUTO hebdo interview made the rounds on social media, Theo Pourchaire was forced to issue a statement on X to clarify his comments in that story — namely, that the portrayal of his words was “grossly inaccurate.”

“I’ve read the article published on AUTO hebdo this week, and I’m disappointed in how grossly inaccurate my words and comments portrayed my interview,” Pourchaire wrote on social media.

“While I was surprised by Arrow McLaren’s decision to take me out of the car ahead of Laguna Seca, we ended on amicable terms.

“Sure, it’s disappointing not to be racing with the team, but they’ve held up and respected all areas of the contract, and Zak [Brown], Gavin [Ward] and Tony [Kanaan], along with the rest of the team, have been fully supportive of me and my wish to get back into an INDYCAR or other racing.

“There’s no question on Arrow McLaren’s stability in its partnerships and their funding, so for AUTO hebdo to include that in my interview, it’s absolutely false.

“I’m appreciative of the time I had with the team, there are no hard feelings, and I hope this helps correct the perception there’s been about the team and myself.”

July 18, 2024

Sacked Arrow McLaren driver Theo Pourchaire had a new 3-year contract with the team, but is now thoroughly miffed that he was suddenly replaced with a ride-buyer who has a rich daddy.

Because of the rumor that Arrow may be leaving the team as a sponsor, the team replaced Pourchaire with ride-buyer Nolan Siegel who has a rich Daddy. It is rumored in the paddock that Hy-Vee may come to McLaren, and if not Siegel’s dad might write a big check to prop up the team financially.

Theo Pourchaire declared himself “disgusted” by the way he was dropped by McLaren after signing a deal to race for them in IndyCar.

Is indyCar a sport? Do rich daddy’s write a check for their son to be quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, pitch for the NY Yankees, or play basketball for the Chicago Bulls? This BS needs to stop if IndyCar ever wants to be taken seriously as a top level sport. Ditto for other forms of motorsports where top teams have to rely on ride-buyers to survive. It is understandable for a backmarker team, but when top teams have to rely on ride-buyers, something is seriously wrong. Look how well F1 teams are doing financially now that Liberty Media bought it. IndyCar should have been sold to Liberty Media. In fact, given the conflicts of interest that exist with Roger Penske as series owner and team owner, he should seriously consider selling the whole thing to Liberty Media (Liberty Media wanted to buy it) and go back to being just a great team owner. AutoRacing1.com Editor

After winning the Formula 2 championship last year, there was no place on the Formula 1 grid for the Frenchman who had to settle for a reserve role with Sauber. But he had an opening across the pond with a surprise switch to the American IndyCar Series.

He was signed by Arrow McLaren for one race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, after David Malukas suffered serious injuries in a cycling accident. He did well enough to be handed a permanent deal to continue driving the #6 car for the rest of the season.

But last month it was announced that Pourchaire had been replaced by ride-buyer youngster Nolan Siegel, called up from the Indy NXT feeder series after impressing in a temporary driving gig for Juncos Hollinger Racing.

Pourchaire was called by Arrow McLaren sporting director Tony Kanaan on the Tuesday morning before he was due to race for the team at Laguna Seca when he was given the news. And former racer Kanaan insisted that it was no reflection on the Frenchman’s work during his short stint.

He said: “He didn’t do anything wrong, it was just a situation. It was a call that we had to make. It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t because of his performance. He’s done whatever he could do. He wasn’t happy, but he understood.”

Kanaan was certainly correct when he said Pourchaire isn’t happy. Speaking to French outlet Auto Hebdo, the 20-year-old told his side of the story and made it clear he feels he has been treated poorly after believing he had secured a long-term future in the series.

He said: “To be 100 percent transparent, McLaren had signed me to a multi-year contract to drive with them in IndyCar. And then, on the Tuesday morning before Laguna Seca, I learned from my manager that they had decided not to have me drive at Laguna Seca, as well as for the rest of the season.

“At first, I was very surprised, I didn’t understand, I thought it was fake. We had only signed a few weeks before. I was disgusted. The team ended up calling me for a minute, around 11am that same day, the day before my planned departure for Laguna Seca, to tell me that I was excluded from the program. They didn’t give me the specific reasons.”

Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi told Autosport that the outfit will try to help Pourchaire land another IndyCar seat and said: “We cannot be happy, mainly because Theo has lost the opportunity to have a strong racing program. This is something that can happen in motorsport, we cannot blame McLaren.”