Theo Pourchaire reveals Mercedes reaction as long-awaited Formula E switch confirmed

Theo Pourchaire has revealed Mercedes' reaction to him joining Opel to race full-time in Formula E next season.

The highly rated Frenchman was announced last week as a driver for Formula E's newest outfit at the start of the Gen4 era, marking his first move into a single-seater world championship.

Pourchaire is viewed by many as one of the greatest young talents to have failed to reach Formula 1, having struggled for seat time since securing the 2023 Formula 2 title.

He has made a handful of appearances in IndyCar, while this year has been spent in the World Endurance Championship with Peugeot. In addition, he has supported Mercedes as a development driver.

Even while in F2, Pourchaire flirted with Formula E and was often seen in the paddock, with Stellantis having offered him plenty of tests in recent years.

It was inevitable that he would eventually find himself on the Formula E grid, which is now the case as the championship enters its new era, with machinery that is similar to and expected to be faster than F2.

Asked if Mercedes supported his move to Formula E, Pourchaire told RacingNews365: "Yeah, I think they were fully okay with it. The most important thing for me is my main racing programmes.

"It's where I'm going to be on the racetrack and race. The Formula 1 simulator is also very important, but it is, of course, you know, only a simulator. It is important, especially for Formula 1 teams. They do simulator sessions during the night after the FP2 session. 

"I'm going to be at the next race, for example, for Zandvoort, in the simulator. And it's going to be, I think, around 5 o'clock in the afternoon until three or four in the morning, testing setups on the Formula 1 car in the simulator. 

"So, no, it's very important. But for them, the most important thing, and for me, is that I have a full racing programme."