Théo Pourchaire on 2024 season, the new car and if we could see a rookie Champion

It’s a long 14-race season in FIA Formula 2 and nobody knows that more than Théo Pourchaire.

The Frenchman, who endured plenty of ups and downs across his three years in the Championship, was finally crowned Drivers’ Champion in 2023 after a season-long battle with Frederik Vesti.

Last year’s Title winner took time out ahead of the motorsport season kicking off in 2024 to give his thoughts on what comes next in F2, the new car and who might be next in line to win the Championship this time around.

“The new car design looks great in my opinion. It's good to have some change and it looks good overall. It's a modern car. It looks very nice, and I think it's great. It's going to be better for the racing, easier to follow because most of the downforce will come from the floor like in Formula 1. So overall, it's very positive to see a new car.

“You have amazing tracks, the drivers are really, really good and it's the last step before F1, so the racing is incredible"

“I think it's very important to get used to everything, to test as many things as possible and to learn as many new things as you can. Testing is very important, especially with the new car. It gives you the chance to see if you have any issues because of the new car.

“You need to also to find new setups because everything is new about the car, so it's very important. Also, for the rookie drivers, they will be getting used to the Formula 2 car.

“Formula 2 is one of the best motorsport Championships on the planet. In my opinion, the racing is the best because everybody has the same car, and the calendar is amazing.

“You have some amazing tracks like Bahrain, Jeddah, Monaco, Abu Dhabi, and Australia. The whole calendar is incredible. The drivers are really, really good and it's the last step before F1, so the racing is incredible. There is always a really good show and people should be watching, they won’t be disappointed.

“To be honest, as a rookie, you can be Champion. That's the advice I would give them. You need to believe in yourself and believe you can do it. It's going to be tough because you’ll be fighting with some really experienced drivers and some really, really good ones, but you can do it as a rookie.

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“You need to be lucky of course, you need to be in a really good team, and you need to also avoid doing rookie mistakes. They’re called rookie mistakes for a reason because you will have to do them at one point, but if you can avoid them, it's always better.

“I remember in my rookie year, unfortunately, I had a small accident in Baku, I broke my wrist and that compromised my season a lot because in 2021, I think I could have fought to be vice champion at least. I think Oscar was really good, but I could have been vice champion, which at the time would have been incredible.

“So, you can do it as a rookie. You just have to give everything you can to show people that you deserve a place in Formula 2 and maybe for the next season in F1.

“I would say there are at least four drivers that can win the title. I’m thinking of Dennis Hauger and Victor Martins who was my teammate from last year. Oliver Berman and Zane Maloney. There are so many drivers who are focused and it's going to be really competitive again this season, but I'm pretty sure it will be one of them that will win the Championship.

“They will have to be the smartest driver, one of the fastest as well, but the one that is going to think about the Championship and to think about how to win a Championship. That means being consistent, being intelligent, taking points when you are not the quickest.

“When you are not the quickest and you don't feel great, you need to take as many points as possible to work with the team in order to go again the next race weekend and fight for the win there. So, the smartest driver is going to win for sure.”