POURCHAIRE RETURNS TO ARROW MCLAREN TO SUBSTITUTE FOR INJURED ROSSI

Arrow McLaren has announced Theo Pourchaire will replace the injured Alexander Rossi for this weekend’s IndyCar Series round on the Streets of Toronto.

Rossi broke his right thumb after clipping the Turn 8 tyre barrier in the closing stages of opening practice on Friday, ruling him out for the remainder of the weekend.

The situation means Arrow McLaren will reunite with Pourchaire, who is traveling to Toronto from Europe and will miss the second practice session on Saturday morning, having replaced him in the No. 6 with Nolan Seigel last month - just weeks after signing the former F2 champion.

A statement from Arrow McLaren read: “Following an on-track incident where Alexander Rossi sustained a broken right thumb, Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team announces Théo Pourchaire to race the No. 7 Ryde Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the remainder of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race weekend.

“Théo will arrive at the track ahead of the qualifying session Saturday afternoon, missing Practice 2 as he travels to Toronto from Europe.

Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

“Alexander has returned to Indianapolis to begin his treatment and the team wishes him a quick recovery.”

Pourchaire was originally brought in to substitute the No. 6 entry while David Malukas was out with a left wrist injury, impressing enough on his debut at Long Beach, finishing 11th, to be given another opportunity the following race at Barber Motorsports Park. After that, he was signed for the remainder of the season - minus the Indianapolis 500 - in early May after David Malukas parted ways.

However, the decision to sign Siegel on a long-term basis left Pourchaire without a drive, having sacrificed his own Super Formula campaign in Japan.

Pourchaire’s best finish came on the Streets of Detroit last month, where he collected a 10th-place finish.

2024-07-20T12:55:55Z dg43tfdfdgfd