Formula 2 racer Theo Pourchaire will make his Formula 1 practice debut with Alfa Romeo at the United States Grand Prix. The Frenchman, who is part of the Sauber Academy, will takeover the C42 from Valtteri Bottas at the Circuit of the Americas during FP1. This is part of the rule that encourages teams to run rookie drivers in their cars during the season. Alfa Romeo previously already satisfied this by exploiting a loophole that enabled Zhou Guanyu to be classed under this at Bahrain, as the rule states it must be a driver that hasn't competed in more than two F1 championship races in their career. For Pourchaire, it will be the second time he has driven an F1 car for the team after taking part in a test at the Hungaroring where he drove the Alfa Romeo C38. He currently sits second in the 2022 Formula 2 championship, looking set to claim the honours as vice champion. Pourchaire said: "I am thrilled to be making my practice debut in Austin; it will be my second time behind the wheel of an F1 car, but in some ways, it will feel like it's the first time, as this time it will be during an official Grand Prix session. "It feels like a dream coming true, and I want to thank Alfa Romeo for putting their trust in me and granting me this amazing opportunity."
Vasseur confident Pourchaire will 'impress' with performances
Alfa Romeo Team Principal Frederic Vasseur said that he confident that Pourchaire will "impress" with his performances, as he will help the team to gather data for the race. He added: “Theo has been delivering great performances over the course of this season, as well as during the previous years. "We have been working closely with him for almost four years now, as a member of our Academy, and we have been impressed by his constant progress and development as a driver first and, equally importantly, as a person. "It's a well-deserved opportunity, and I’m confident he will once again impress us with his performances, as he will help the team gather valuable data ahead of the United States Grand Prix."
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