F1 EXCLUSIVE: Lewis Hamilton engineer identifies driver who should be on grid

All of 2023's F1 drivers lineup for a photo at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

GPFans Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: Hamilton engineer identifies driver who should be on F1 grid

After guiding Lewis Hamilton to Formula 1, the race engineer behind his success identifies who should follow next

Jim Kimberley

Sunday 14 April 2024 10:57

GPFans sprak voor dit artikel exclusief met de betrokkenen

The 2025 Formula 1 driver market is in full swing after Fernando Alonso signed to stay at Aston Martin.

Lance Stroll is almost certain to keep his seat alongside the Spaniard, meaning that there are two fewer opportunities for drivers looking to race next season.

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For Felipe Drugovich, the 2022 F2 champion, that all but ends his short-term F1 aspirations after he joined Aston Martin's academy programme following his championship success.

His successor in the second tier, 2023 F2 champ Theo Pourchaire, should not suffer the same fate, according to the man who guided Lewis Hamilton to his title at the peak of feeder series racing.

Better than a Mercedes driver

Frederic "Fifo" Guyot was Hamilton's race engineer in GP2 at ART GP, and has since become the French team's F2 manager. He spoke exclusively to GPFans.

Pourchaire beat Mercedes-backed Frederik Vesti to the title in 2023, and after spending three seasons together, Guyot sees F1 credentials, saying, "I think he deserves to be there.

"His first season was impressive in F3 by being second in the championship, coming from F4.

"His first season in F2 was good, and in the second season, we were a bit unlucky, probably under a bit too much pressure for him, and then it started to be a bit difficult.

"In the third season, he did the job with only one goal: to be champion, which he realised.

"He's still very young, and ... he's in the top three guys you can have in junior series at the moment."

Achievements 'from the beginning'

Pourchaire has since turned to Super Formula in Japan to keep him busy for 2024 but will hope that a 2025 drive materialises at Sauber, where he is the Swiss team's reserve driver.

Guyot recalled when he first worked with Pourchaire in 2020 during his rookie Formula 3 season, missing out on the title by just three points to Oscar Piastri but beating out the more experienced Logan Sargeant and Liam Lawson:

"Theo is still young and was really young when he arrived in ART in F3 and F2.

"He achieved very good things from the beginning, so, for sure, he has talent.

"The last two seasons, it was more management of the pressure and management for the championship last year to make sure he would be champion, which was the main goal for him."

Lewis Hamilton Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Lance Stroll Felipe Drugovich Theo Pourchaire