Sauber Junior left due to Chou’s new one-year contract and Bottas’ contract extension option. Theo Purchere As a reserve pilot.
Pourcher won the German F4 crown in 2019, finished second in F3 in 2020 and qualified second in F2 in 2022. By the final, he had a 25-point lead over Mercedes junior Frédéric Vesty and is on the verge of winning the 2023 title in Abu Dhabi. .
Pulchere will miss out on immediate promotion to F1, along with the previous two F2 champions Felipe Durgovic and Oscar Piastri. However, according to Sauber CEO Alessandro Arunni Bravi, it is likely that the car will take part in a race or test program.
Assessing Pulchere’s future options in F1, the Italian lawyer said: “We are ready to reach an agreement.
“We are discussing together what is the best racing program to get him ready to get into an F1 car. There are no closed doors for him in the future.
“We have seen with Felipe Durgovic… Piastri also sees the possibility that a team will appoint him in the future, even if there is no real possibility of him becoming a racing driver after a year in F2. It’s not something to exclude.”
Durgovic, who is a candidate for the Alfa seat alongside Bottas, is Aston Martin’s reserve driver. He reportedly turned down an offer from IndyCar and is considered the favorite to replace Edoardo Mortara at the Maserati Formula E team.
Piastri completed Alpine’s extensive F1 test program in the 2021 car before moving to McLaren in 2023.
Theo Purchere, Alfa Romeo C42
Photo: Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images
Arunni Bravi said Sauber would consider a similar test program for Pourcher, but the Swiss international’s finances could be a limiting factor.
“We need to figure out what the best program is for him,” he continued.
“We want him to be close to the F1 team, because this year we asked him to focus completely on F2 and he is doing well.”
“I believe and hope that he will win the championship in Abu Dhabi.
“Maybe we can find out when is the best time for him to get ready.
“We don’t have old cars like Aston Martin, McLaren or Mercedes that allow us to run a proper test program for our drivers.
“This is a big restriction – maybe next year this will be given to him.
“We are discussing it internally. Of course, from a budget point of view, this is very expensive for the team, but we want to look at every opportunity. For a driver like him , the door is open.”
Purchere is likely to drive the 2023 Alfa F1 in FP1 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, in order to meet the requirement that the rookie participate in at least two practice sessions.