Components 2 champion Theo Pourchaire is into account for a check and reserve position with Peugeot’s World Endurance Championship squad together with former sparring associate Clement Novalak.
Poruchaire, who additionally raced with Arrow McLaren in IndyCar this 12 months, and LMP2 common Novalak have entered the body to interchange Malthe Jakobsen on his commencement to a race seat rather than Nico Muller for 2025 after participating within the official WEC rookie check in Bahrain earlier this month.
Peugeot has acknowledged that it needed to check out some new drivers and confirmed that they’re in competition for the seventh spot within the Peugeot Sport WEC squad.
Peugeot Sport technical director Olivier Jansonnie mentioned: “It’s at all times attention-grabbing to guage drivers for the longer term.
“The thought of the rookie check for us was to check some correct rookies.
“We checked out some potential drivers: we needed somebody with sturdy single-seater expertise and up to date prototype expertise, and that’s Clement [who raced in the European Le Mans Series with Inter Europol in 2024].
“Theo has a little bit of a distinct profile however is clearly very proficient.”
When requested if Pourchaire and Novalak had been being evaluated for a possible reserve position, Jansonnie replied within the affirmative.
He confirmed that Peugeot would go into 2025 with a seventh driver, however he pressured that no selections had been made.
#94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Malthe Jakobsen, Théo Pourchaire, Clement Novalak
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Pictures
Pourchaire acknowledged that he was open to a reserve position with Peugeot alongside a correct return to competitors after a season through which he began out in Tremendous Components with Group Impul earlier than switching to what turned out to be a disjointed IndyCar marketing campaign.
“A reserve driver position in Hypercar, why not?” mentioned the 2023 F2 title winner, who holds an identical place in Components 1 with Sauber.
“It might assist me have a full-time position sooner or later, however for positive I’m in search of a drive to truly race.”
Ought to Pourchaire land a Peugeot drive, it’s seemingly that he can be positioned in LMP2 subsequent 12 months to realize race expertise.
He was noticed with the Algarve Professional Racing P2 squad at Paul Ricard throughout a Goodyear tyre check final week.
Novalak, a race winner in F2 in ’23, mentioned: “If I might dream of something it might be getting a reserve position [in Hypercar] and doing the ELMS and the IMSA SportsCar Championships [in P2],” mentioned the London-based Franco-Swiss.
Pourchaire and Novalak should not into account for race seats at Peugeot for subsequent 12 months.
Theo Pourchaire, Reserve Driver, Stake F1 Group Kick Sauber
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Pictures
The group will go into the brand new season with an unchanged roster in its two 9X8 2024 Le Mans Hypercars excluding Jakobsen.
However Jakobsen won’t essentially slot in as a like-for-like alternative for Muller within the #93 entry alongside Mikkel Jensen and Jean-Eric Vergne.
Jansonnie defined that the ultimate choice on the line-ups in every automotive had but to be made.
Peugeot shuffled drivers between vehicles for 2024 when Stoffel Vandoorne moved up from the reserve position on the departure of Gustavo Menezes.
He took Menezes’s seat within the #94 automotive, driving alongside Loic Duval and Paul di Resta, who swapped locations with Muller between seasons.