Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo fails to rule out Pourchaire for 2022

Pourchaire tested with the team in Hungary

Ewan Gale

Sunday 29 August 2021 12:30

Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur is not ruling out F1 promotion for Sauber academy and F2 driver Théo Pourchaire who could become "one of the best".

Pourchaire has impressed in his season and a half in F1's support ladder, challenging for last year's F3 title before winning at Monaco in his second F2 weekend this year.

The Frenchman returned from a broken wrist sustained in Baku to then score points at Silverstone and remain sixth in the standings, although he would need to improve his position to earn the necessary super licence points for an F1 seat.

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With Alfa Romeo drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen both out of contract at the end of the season, there is a possibility for Pourchaire to swiftly move up.

Asked if Pourchaire, who celebrated his 18th birthday over the summer break, was under consideration for 2022, Vasseur said: "Considering for next year? I don't know.

"I am considering Théo... I don't know if it is for next year or the future.

"Théo is part of the family, part of the academy. We are spending a lot of energy on Théo because we are convinced Théo is one of the best ones for the future.

"I don't know if it will be '22, '23 or '24 but I am convinced at one stage, he will be one of the best ones."

F2 more important than F1 test for Pourchaire

Pourchaire completed his first F1 test with Alfa Romeo following the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break.

Vasseur, though, highlighted the importance of F2 over any tests run in F1 machinery.

"I did not want to be impressed by the test.," added Vasseur. "The target of this was to give him experience.

"When you are alone on track, you don't know about the lap time, about the speed of the track so the most important for me is to do a good day, improve over the day and to have a good understanding of what you are doing in the car and stay calm.

"On all these points he did a good job. The most important for him is the F2."