McLaren IndyCar star to make STUNNING return after team criticism

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IndyCar

McLaren star to make STUNNING return after team criticism

Theo Pourchaire will step in as an injury replacement

Chris Deeley

Saturday 20 July 2024 20:00

Theo Pourchaire has returned to drive for McLaren in IndyCar this weekend, in the same week as he gave an interview claiming he was 'disgusted' by the handling of his initial exit.

The French driver was ditched last month by the Arrow McLaren team after just a handful of races despite signing a contract for the rest of the season and beyond, and hasn't been shy about his unhappiness.

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However, the 20-year-old has answered the call to come back as an injury replacement for Alexander Rossi in Toronto this weekend, after the 2016 Indy 500 winner broke his thumb in practice on Friday.

Rossi insisted that he's aiming to make it back for the next race in mid-August, timing the crash unexpectedly well for the series' summer break, but it could be that Pourchaire remains in situ if the injury resolves slowly.

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Pourchaire: I thought McLaren firing was fake

Speaking to Auto Hebdo, the Frenchman said: “To be 100 per cent transparent, McLaren had signed me to a multi-year contract to drive with them in IndyCar.

“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.”

McLaren IndyCar Arrow McLaren Theo Pourchaire Alexander Rossi