Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire has been brutally dumped by McLaren just days before the eighth IndyCar race this year.
The Frenchman, who is Sauber’s reserve driver in F1, made five starts with McLaren and recorded a season-best 10th on the streets of Detroit.
Fresh off winning the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 19-year-old Nolan Siegel has been signed on a multi-year deal with McLaren.
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Theo Pourchaire contested five races with McLaren in the IndyCar Series. Chris Owens via IndyCar
Despite failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 this year in his first attempt, Siegel has been a frontrunner in the second-tier Indy NXT series.
He already has two IndyCar starts to his name with Dale Coyne Racing at Long Beach where he stood in for Jack Harvey and then for Juncos Hollinger Racing at Road America where he replaced Agustin Canapino.
Siegel will become the third different driver to pilot the No.6 entry after Pourchaire and Callum Ilott. Initially, that car was to be driven by David Malukas until he broke his wrist.
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“I’m looking forward to jumping right in with the Arrow McLaren team this week and confirming my place in the IndyCar Series in papaya moving forward,” said Siegel.
“This is an unexpected jump, but I’m thrilled to be in this position after a rewarding run in the Indy NXT by Firestone series with HMD Motorsports.
“I am looking forward to this new journey and learning alongside the entire team starting this weekend in my home state.”
Theo Pourchaire won the F2 title in 2023 before joining McLaren in the IndyCar Series in place of David Malukas. Joe Skibinski via IndyCar
McLaren team principal Gavin Ward cited “stability” long term for signing Siegel on a multi-year program.
“First, I want to thank Theo for his time filling in on the No.6 car with us in recent weeks,” said Ward.
“We’ve been working through musical chairs all season, and ultimately, making this change to Nolan now that he’s available gives us the chance to build a foundation for the future.
“He is a young, talented driver with an immense amount of experience at this stage of his career and we’re excited to continue on the upward journey together.”
Nolan Siegel, 19, signed a multi-year deal with McLaren. James Black via IndyCar
It’s a brutal end to Pourchaire’s relationship with McLaren. The 20-year-old gave up his Super Formula drive in Japan to join the IndyCar grid.
McLaren initially announced Pourchaire would contest the remainder of the 2024 season and has since pulled that news from its website.
On Tuesday, before the latest announcement, Pourchaire posted on X (formerly Twitter) “Man I can’t believe I’m gonna race on the legendary Laguna Seca this weekend. Can’t wait to be there for the Grand Prix of Monterey.” That post has since been deleted.
Pourchaire told US outlet RACER that he hoped to stay in the IndyCar Series and it has been reported there is already interest in the youngster’s services.