The weekend in Austin, next week, will see the track new faces thanks above all to the legislation introduced this year by the FIA which forces the teams to take to the track in at least two free practice sessions during the season one of their talents. And in Austin we will see many young drivers with the big dream of having one day a seat in F1.
Pourchaire will do FP1 in place of Bottas
The three teams that have decided to entrust their car to an unofficial driver are Ferrari, Haas e Alfa Romeo. The latter has just made it official Theo Pourchaire, F2 driver currently second behind only the unattainable Felipe Drugovich, who will drive the Alfa Romeo car in America. It's a really important day for the Frenchman given that he has also signed a contract with the Italian team as reserve pilot for 2023. But for him it is not the first time in an F1: in fact, he has already driven with the Alfa C38 used in 2019 and, right there, had shown his talent.
Alfa Romeo, Pourchaire speaks: "It's a dream come true"
At the moment for Théo it is the best day of her life and he spoke about this in an interview released shortly after the announcement. “I am thrilled to make my free practice debut at Austin; it will be my second time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, but in some ways it will feel like the first time, because on this occasion I will do it during an official session of the Grand Prix. AND a dream come true and I want to thank Alfa Romeo for trusting me and for giving me this extraordinary opportunity. I can't wait to get on track. I will make sure I get the most out of it and do my best to support the team in preparation for the United States Grand Prix."
Vasseur's comment
The Alfa Romeo team principal also spent some beautiful words for the French talent Frederic Vasseur. "Théo has delivered great performances this season, as well as in previous years: we have been working closely with him for almost four years, as a member of our Academy, and we have been impressed by his constant progress and development as a driver before everything and, just as importantly, as a person. We are delighted to give him his first free practice outing next week: he is a well deserved opportunity and I am sure he will impress us once again with his performance as he will help the team gather valuable data ahead of the United States Grand Prix.”
ARTICLE BY FRANCESCO ORLANDO
