Record breaking Pourchaire to maintain focus on Formula 2
Theo Pourchaire says he is not going to get carried away by becoming Formula 2’s youngest ever race winner, admitting he is “really far” from graduating to Formula 1.
The 17-year-old rewrote the record books this weekend in Monaco by becoming the youngest ever polesitter and race winner after dominant displays in qualifying and today’s feature race.
Pourchaire’s performances on his Monaco debut ensured he claimed the youngest race winner accolade from now McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris.
Although the achievement has arrived on the biggest stage at Monaco and in front of the F1 paddock, the teenager, who dreams of reaching F1, says he will maintain his focus on F2.
“To be honest, I try to stay focused on Formula 2 because I am really far from Formula 1,” said Pourchaire, a member of the Sauber Junior Team.
“I have the help of Sauber which is incredible and I know they are watching me when I’m having not good results and good results like today.
“My job is to just focus on Formula 2 to do a really good and I will try to be a title contender, maybe it is a bit too early to say that."
Pourchaire admitted in the post-race press conference that he was unaware he had claimed another record this weekend after his earlier pole position triumph.
The ART Grand Prix driver revealed that being the youngest ever race winner means a lot given how competitive the field is in F2.
Theo Pourchaire, ART Grand Prix
“It [the record] means a lot because it is not easy to win at 17 years old in F2,” he added.
“It is a really competitive championship and I need to be perfect. I have to work really really hard to catch the others.
“In Bahrain [season opener] I was not fast to be honest I was not super fast and the weekend was difficult and I just wanted to bounce back and do a good race weekend and be back on the podium, and I have become the youngest ever pole winner and race winner. I can’t believe it.
“It [the podium] was amazing, the race was so stressful I was under pressure.
“Monaco is unique, you cannot make a mistake here so I was so concentrated. We did the perfect race, it feels incredible.
"I didn’t know I was the youngest ever winner, so it feels so good.”
Pourchaire has emerged as a genuine F2 title contender having climbed to third in the championship standings after scoring a seventh and fourth in the two sprint races on top of his feature race win.
UNI Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou leads the championship which heads to Baku for round 3 on June 4-6.
Related video
Monaco F2: Pourchaire dominates to become youngest ever F2 winner
Lawson: Losing Monaco F2 win for throttle map breach “tough one to swallow”
Why WTR Acura lacked pace to beat MSR in Daytona 24 showdown
Filipe Albuquerque admits that he knew it would be a tall order for Wayne Taylor Racing to overcome sister Acura squad Meyer Shank Racing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
After much anticipation, the new dawn for sportscar racing got underway with a result that mirrored last year's IMSA SportsCar Championship's season-opener run to the previous DPi rules. Here's how Acura once again took top honours in the Daytona 24 Hours with a 1-2 led by Meyer Shank Racing, as the new GTP class for LMDh hybrid prototypes made its bow
Alonso's pushy trait a boost for me in 2023 F1 season, says Stroll
Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll says Fernando Alonso's pushy nature will be a boost to both him and the squad this year.
Porsche aims to “learn quick” from Daytona 24 Hours disappointment
Porsche’s director of factory racing Urs Kuratle says his team will gain valuable answers from its disappointing results in the Daytona 24 Hours.
Ranking the 10 best drivers from F1's junior series in 2022
The ladder to F1 never gets any less slippery. But a strong cast of Formula 3 and Formula 2 aces proved sure of foot as they continued their climbs in 2022
The next steps for France's latest F1 hopeful after an F2 title miss
Theo Pourchaire entered the 2022 Formula 2 season a firm favourite for the title after remaining with ART Grand Prix for a second season. But an unexpected charge from Felipe Drugovich and MP Motorsport meant the Frenchman was forced to settle for second. What went wrong for the Sauber protege, and where does he go from here?
The remarkable career turnaround of an ever-improving F2 talent
Sixth in the F2 standings heading into this month's final round, but within touching distance of third, Enzo Fittipaldi has quietly put together a strong first full season in the Formula 1 support series, recovering well from the scary Jeddah start crash that cut his 2021 campaign short. It marks a turn in fortunes for the Brazilian who thought he'd bid hopes of a career in Europe goodbye two years ago
What the future holds for two Red Bull juniors fighting in the F2 battleground
Despite having two talented drivers, albeit at very different stages of their careers, Prema Racing has had mixed fortunes in FIA Formula 2 this year. Both drivers told Autosport how they rate their seasons so far – and their next steps beyond 2022
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
The on-form F1 protege carrying America's hopes on his shoulders
Two feature race wins in as many rounds have helped Logan Sargeant to emerge as the closest challenger to runaway Formula 2 points leader Felipe Drugovich. The Williams F1 junior couldn't have timed his rise better, with interest in grand prix racing on the rise in his US homeland, and he could be his country's best shot at getting a driver on the grid for the first time since 2015
What racing in Australia means for the future of F1's junior series
The announcement that FIA Formula 2 and 3 would race alongside the Australian Grand Prix from 2023 came as a surprise, not only to fans but to the series’ teams too. But with Formula 1’s boom in popularity bringing more fans to the championships, team principals are relishing the opportunity
The other Doohan charting his way to motorsport success
Heading into FIA Formula 2 this season, there was a lot of pressure on Jack Doohan. The 2021 F3 runner-up joined a new team for his next challenge, as well as signing up to the Alpine Academy. He told Autosport how he’s tackling the step up - with some help from his motorcycle legend father
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.