Alfa Romeo boss explains why rising F2 star Theo Pourchaire was too ‘risky’ a prospect for the 2022 F1 seat

Theo Pourchaire is seen as one of the rising stars on the road to Formula 1 and is betting on reaching the top of motorsport in the future – but the Sauber Junior driver was out of the question for the Alfa Romeo seat in 2022. Team Principal Frederic Vasseur explained exactly why.

This season will be Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu’s first in Formula 1, while Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas joins him – and with just 20 spots on offer, it’s inevitable that some drivers will miss out. Pourchaire, who became the youngest-ever F2 winner in 2021 and finished fifth overall, was one of those drivers.

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After announcing that Zhou would be joining Alfa Romeo this season, Vasseur explained why Pourchaire was not considered.

“He won at Monaco this season but… the car is so complex and we only have six days of testing before the season – that means it would have been too risky, too challenging, in my view, to take the step now. It’s much better to focus on the championship in Formula 2 [in 2022] and we will see the future.

“He did a fantastic job [debut] season in Formula 2… but we also have to remember that he was in Formula 4 18 months ago [and] that the step between F4 and F3 was huge,” added the team boss.

However, 18-year-old Pourchaire will play a bigger role in Alfa Romeo’s 2022 season with FP1 sessions and testing days on the horizon alongside his second F2 campaign. The Frenchman made his Alfa Romeo F1 testing debut in August 2021.

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Vasseur explained: “Theo will definitely do some FP1s. We will do some test days to prepare it for the future. But again if you do the championship in F2 the most important thing is to win the championship and not prepare the future or anything and I will ask him to become champion in F2.

Alfa Romeo finished behind Williams in 2021 and is aiming to move into mid-table or beyond this season. Pourchaire, meanwhile, will continue to compete with ART in the 2022 Formula 2 Championship.