Top 3 in the 2023 Championship: Pourchaire, Vesti and Doohan

It was a spellbinding season that went all the way to the final day, but Théo Pourchaire and ART Grand Prix eventually triumphed and were crowned Drivers and Teams’ Champions of 2023.

For ART, it represented the team’s first F2 crown while for Pourchaire, it was the end of a four-year journey with the French outfit that had been building to a momentous end.

Here’s what all three had to say as they accepted their awards for finishing in the top three of the 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship.

Jack Doohan, Invicta Virtuosi Racing – P3

Jack Doohan rebounded from a tough first half of the campaign to end 2023 on a high note, winning three races in the second half of the season, culminating in the last Feature Race win of the year in Abu Dhabi.

“It was emotional. I’ve had a very up and down time in Formula 2, but it was great to finish on a high in Abu Dhabi, so I’m happy. It was great to be at every round of the Formula 1 and 2 season this year, it was great for my experience. I want to be a Formula 1 driver in the future so it was important to gain that experience.”

Frederik Vesti, PREMA Racing – P2

Frederik Vesti and PREMA Racing put up a spirited fight, with the Dane winning six times across the season but ultimately falling just short in the end despite his last-gasp comeback across the Yas Island weekend.

“Honestly, I want to say a big thank you to PREMA Racing, taking me back for this year. Coming back to my engineer Pedro, he was with me in Regional and Formula 3 – that meant everything to me. Of course, we dreamt about fighting for a Championship like this but to do it is incredibly difficult. So, this is for the team, and thank you to Pedro.

“I said last year while I was at ART that I wanted to fight with Théo a bit more, so I got a lot of that this year. Obviously, I’m a bit disappointed with the tough rounds ahead of Abu Dhabi for me but still really, really proud of what we’ve achieved. Six wins is a great story.”

Théo Pourchaire, ART Grand Prix – P1

Pourchaire finally captured F2 glory in his third season in the Championship. He built his campaign on unmatched consistency, achieving 10 podiums across the season to help ART claim the Teams’ Championship also.

“Standing here now as F2 Champion – I just want to thank my team, they are all incredible. Four incredible years, it’s a big part of my life with this team. Just want to say a big thank you to my team, my engineers, my friends, my family, my dad and my mum, my sister, my manager, all of them – it’s incredible.

“I’m so proud. If I’m Champion then it’s because of them. We gave our best and had some tough moments together but also incredible moments - Monaco 2021 is still the favourite moment of my F2 career. I just loved it all.

“I just want to keep pushing. I’m still young, 20-years-old, give my best and hopefully achieve my dream one day.”