Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire will race in Super Formula next year for the Toyota-powered Team Impul squad.
The Sauber junior had been aiming to land a Formula 1 seat for 2024, and had met his paddock backers’ objective of winning the F2 title this year, but instead he was given an extension to his reserve driver contract so went looking for a racing programme elsewhere.Last week he got his first taste of Japan’s top-level single-seater series in its official post-season test at Suzuka, and speaking afterwards he was clear that he wanted to race in the series. He is now one of two rookies confirmed to be joining the grid in 2024, the other being F2 rival and Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa.
Pourchaire spent three full seasons in F2. After contesting the final four races of the 2020 season he won two races and came fifth in the standings the following year. He improved to second in the standings with three wins last year, and won just one race this season en route to the title.
Before that Pourchaire was a race-winner in French Formula 4, won Germany’s ADAC F4 title and was FIA Formula 3 Championship runner-up.
Other drivers to have graduated from F1’s primary feeder series to SF and then made it onto the F1 grid include Pierre Gasly, who was 2016 GP2 champion and half a point shy of being 2017 SF champion, and Liam Lawson who was third in F2 last year and the 2023 SF championship runner-up.
Pourchaire is pinning his hopes of reaching the F1 grid in 2025 on not only having a strong rookie campaign in the competitive Japanese series but also the fact that more F1 drivers are out of contract at the end of 2024 than were at the end of this year.
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Formula 2
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Jere (@jerejj)
12th December 2023, 11:52
Ultimately, what I expected & as things stand, he could well be the only non-Japanese competing in next year’s campaign.
Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to how well he performs as well as Iwasa.
Getting a full-time drive in F1 for 2025 is still easier said than done & effectively his only chance because Audi may prefer other drivers.
Shimks (@shimks)
12th December 2023, 18:55
9 rounds in this series but only over 7 weekends and spread across a long timeframe, so not so much racing, really.
In brackets you have (City, Prefecture).
1 Suzuka International Racing Course (Suzuka, Mie) 8–10 March
2 Autopolis (Hita, Oita) 17–19 May
3 Sportsland SUGO (Shibata, Miyagi) 21–23 June
4 Fuji Speedway (Oyama, Shizuoka) 19–21 July
5 Mobility Resort Motegi (Motegi, Tochigi) 23–25 August
6, 7* Fuji Speedway (Oyama, Shizuoka) 11–13 October
8, 9* Suzuka International Racing Course (Suzuka, Mie) 22–24 November
* double-headers
Where to watch, I wonder…?
Jere (@jerejj)
12th December 2023, 20:56
You can watch SF on Motorsport tv for a premium subscription (something I do) or alternatively on the SFgo app, but the former option is more convenient.
About the scheduling, I agree that having more condensed race calendars would be better & I also wish Okayama returned so that all of Japan’s proper circuits would feature in the championship again.
Taka (@taka)
14th December 2023, 13:37
In 2023 there was a free live stream on abema.
You can watch it from abroad via vpn.
Not sure if it will be done again in 2024.
Shimks (@shimks)
13th December 2023, 8:50
Thanks, @jerejj.