Pourchaire: My greatest influences

Rarely a weekend goes by that you don’t hear Théo Pourchaire thank those around him for their support, but who are they exactly?

We sat down with the young French sensation to discuss the people who have played a part in his journey to date. From family to Formula 1 bosses, he discusses who has been key.

1. MY FATHER, JEROME AND MY MOTHER, SANDRINE

“For sure, I would say my father. He is a motorsports fan and he put me in a go kart at the age of two-and-a-half years old. My dad just wanted to make go karting a hobby for me, but we never stopped and now here I am in Formula 2. It is incredible!

“I am really happy, but it I am not finished. Both my father and I want to go to Formula 1 now. He tried to pay for me as much as he could, and he found all of my sponsors. He has done everything for me, so he is super important.

“My mother as well, she is super important too. She is helping me outside of the motorsport world. She likes to see me driving, but she is really scared at the same time, which I understand. She is super important to me and really helps me mentally.”

2. MY SISTER, PAULINE

“My sister is really important as well. My family are the most important thing to me. My sister drives me to the circuits, she helps me at the hotel, she does a lot of things for me that are essential. It allows me to focus solely on racing. She is a friend to me.”

3. THE SAUBER ACADEMY

“Motorsport wise, I would say the Sauber Academy as a whole. There are two very important people there in particular: Bert Zehnder and Frédéric Vasseur. They have both helped me a lot and I would like to say a massive thank you to them. Then there is my physio, Davide, who is at every race with me. He helps me a lot mentally and physically.”