Photo: Sauber Motorsport
Sauber has announced that Theo Pourchaire and Zane Maloney, its Formula 1 reserve drivers this season, have left the team.
It marks the end of a six-year association with Sauber for the 21-year-old Pourchaire, who was one of the first drivers signed by its academy when it was launched in 2019.
That year he was ADAC Formula 4 champion, having come third in French F4 as a car racing rookie in 2018, and he went on to be 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship runner-up, 2022 Formula 2 runner-up and then 2023 champion of F1’s primary feeder series.
By then he was already on reserve driver duties, relocating to Switzerland to work more closely with the team, and a year ago Sauber decided to keep him in that position for 2024 while freeing him to pursue a race seat outside of F1.
Pourchaire signed with Team Impul in Super Formula, then became a stand-in driver for Sauber’s rival McLaren but in IndyCar.
After just one race in Japan, Pourchaire dropped his SF programme as McLaren was impressed by his two races with them and signed him on a deal that included all remaining races bar the Indianapolis 500.
That contract lasted 40 days (during which time three races took place) before the Frenchman was dropped for a paying driver, and his best finish was 10th. Surprisingly, McLaren later utilised the USA-based Pourchaire as a stand-in once more.
Last month, Pourchaire forwent his F1 duties for a weekend to contest the World Endurance Championship’s rookie test. He drove the Peugeot 98X, one of the cars in the top Hypercar class of prototype sportscars, and Peugeot has since signed him as its test and development driver for 2025.
While he has not earned the more coveted reserve driver spot, Peugeot has confirmed it will in fact use him as one when required. Sauber announced Pourchaire’s exit on the same day as he started his new role at Peugeot.
“This is an incredible opportunity. I see it as a fresh start,” said Pourchaire of his sportscar switch. “Endurance cars are highly advanced and cutting-edge in terms of technology, making them similar to F1 cars.”
Maloney kicked off his car racing career in 2019 by becoming British F4 champion, then was eighth in Euroformula, stepped down to Formula Regional Europe and was fourth in that championship and then up to FIA F3 where he was championship runner-up and earned a spot in the Red Bull Junior Team for 2023 as well as becoming one of Red Bull’s F1 reserve drivers.
He came 10th in his rookie season, losing his Red Bull backing but being signed as Andretti Global’s Formula E reserve driver and then as one of Sauber’s reserves for 2024. The 21-year-old Barbadan came fourth in his sophomore F2 campaign, despite ending it early to focus on his new role racing in FE for Lola Yamaha Abt. He debuted this month, finishing 12th in the Sao Paulo E-Prix.