The 2019 ADAC F4 champion Theo Pourchaire has joined ART Grand Prix to compete in FIA Formula 3 (F3) Championship in 2020.
Pourchaire will make his F3 debut in 2020 with ART as he joins another debutant SMP Racing junior Alexander Smolyar, to be the second driver announced by the French outfit. The Frenchman won the ADAC F4 title in 2019 when racing for US Racing team.
He beat Red Bull junior and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Dennis Hauger by seven points in a tightly contested season. A member of the Sauber Junior Team, Pourchaire tested with ART at Valencia, which helped the team decide his potential for a full F3 season.
“This is a new challenge for me and I’m grateful to ART Grand Prix for giving me the opportunity to race in F3,” said Pourchaire. “Coming from German F4, this is a big step up, but after the rookie tests in Valencia I feel ready to take it.
“We had all the possible conditions, dry, drying or wet and I felt good in all of them. ART Grand Prix gave me some leads to work on and I know where I can improve. I know I have a good margin of progression and that’s why my main aim will be to be better and better week in week out and to be ready to fight with the front runners by the final stages of the championship.
“I still have a lot to learn, but with a team such as ART Grand Prix, I think I can make it. I’m young and I want to take the time to do things right. Also, I would like to give a special thanks to all the people who have worked hard to help me reach this level, especially my family of course, my physio and Simumotion.
“I also thank ART for the chance with the rookie tests in Valencia where I took the opportunity to show what I am really worth in this category.” At the same time, team principal Sebastien Phillipe added: “Theo’s record and career speak for themselves.
“In karting as in motorsport, he won one title per year. Reaching this level of competition, F3, at such a young age, is rare and not only testifies to his great racing skills, but also to his exceptional mental ability to know how to manage the victory on a race meeting and throughout a championship, all while working hand in hand with his team.
“At 16, and despite an immense raw talent, he has a lot of room for improvement. Theo proved to us in Valencia that he is very mature for his age, that he already has a certain technical background and that he has all the skills to be fast and help ART Grand Prix reach its objectives.”
2020 F3 line-up so far:
Jenzer Motorsport: Calan Williams
Prema Racing: Logan Sargeant
ART Grand Prix: Alexander Smolyar, Theo Pourchaire
Here’s the changed F2 and F3 regulations for 2020 after Mahaveer Raghunathan’s case
