Pourchaire back in the saddle in Toronto with Arrow McLaren!

Less than a month after being fired by Arrow McLaren, Theo Pourchaire will return to Toronto this weekend for a one-off race with the IndyCar driver, filling in for the injured Alexander Rossi.

Pourchaire was offered a full-time contract with Arrow McLaren following his impressive IndyCar debut with the team at Long Beach in April.

But in June, after just five races with the team, he was told his services were no longer required. Arrow McLaren signed 19-year-old American hope and IndyCar rookie Nolan Siegel.

The shocking news was a major blow to the 2023 FIA Formula 2 champion, who recently expressed his frustration in an interview with French magazine Auto-Hebdo.

“At first I was very surprised, I didn’t understand it, I thought it was fake. We had only signed a few weeks ago. I was sick of it,” he admitted.

But on Friday, Rossi broke his thumb in a crash during free practice for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, forcing Arrow McLaren to recall Pourchaire.

“Following an on-track incident in which Alexander Rossi fractured his right thumb, the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team announces that Theo Pourchaire will drive the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the remainder of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race weekend,” the team confirmed.

“Theo will arrive at the circuit for the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, missing Practice 2 as he travels from Europe to Toronto. Alexander has returned to Indianapolis to begin his treatment and the team wishes him a speedy recovery.”

Despite his dismissal, Pourchaire remains under contract with Arrow McLaren.

Despite his familiarity with the car and the team, the 20-year-old Sauber junior has no experience at the Toronto circuit.

He will therefore have to get to work straight away and quickly familiarise himself with the track at the start of qualifying.

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