Theo Pourchaire could have ended his career without Peugeot WEC chance

Former Sauber Academy member Theo Pourchaire says he could have retired from motorsport had he not got a chance to join Peugeot’s World Endurance Championship programme as a reserve driver.

Pourchaire’s future was looking bleak after he was dropped by Arrow McLaren around halfway through the 2024 IndyCar season.

The 2023 champion had split with Team Impul in Super Formula after just one round to jump on the opportunity handed by McLaren, but his IndyCar stint lasted just six races, including a one-off return at Toronto in place of an injured Alexander Rossi.

Peugeot then came as a saving grace for Pourchaire, offering him a chance to test its 9X8 LMH in the Bahrain rookie test in November before inducting him to its Hypercar roster as its designated test and reserve driver.

He has since secured a full-season seat in the European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro and will also contest the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time with the same team in June.

Speaking to French website Flashscore, the 21-year-old credited Peugeot for saving his career and recognising his talent behind the wheel.

“It's great news to have such a great programme after having a complicated season last year. It's a relief,” he said. “It's mainly thanks to Peugeot that I have the opportunity to race this year and thanks to Algarve who wanted me.

“I had this opportunity to be able to do the ELMS and especially the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“I'm doing the best I can on my side, I'm giving it my all. I really have nothing to reproach myself for on that side and the world of motorsport is like that.

“I was lucky to have Peugeot and the Stellantis group who came to help me enormously for this year and I think I will be grateful for life. I could have and should have maybe stopped my career without them this year.

“I am very happy and motivated to drive in ELMS. It is very competitive with very fast cars.”

Pourchaire’s duties in the WEC and ELMS means his 2025 programme comprises entirely of prototype sportscar events. 

However, he has made it clear that he is not turning his back towards single-seater racing, stating that he is open to all options in motorsport.

Pourchaire cited the example of ex-Williams F1 driver Franco Colapinto, who raced LMP2 machinery in the ELMS, WEC and the Asian Le Mans Series in 2021 before returning to open-wheel competition.

“I'm only 21 years old. I'm not closing the door to anything and everything is possible in a career,” he said.

“As long as I give everything and show what I'm capable of, there are bound to be twists and turns and there will always be great things ahead of me.

“There is also Franco Colapinto. I was looking at his career and in the end, he drove in LMP2 with my current team. Afterwards, he ended up in F1. There are so many levels in these categories that anything can happen in motorsport and you should never give up.

“There are inevitably more complicated years than others but now, I have a very good programme ahead of me and I can't wait to drive. I will have high-performance teammates, a high-performance team, a brand like Peugeot that supports me behind me and I have everything I need to do well.”