“I Would Beat Oscar Piastri”: F2 Champ Theo Pourchaire Makes Bold Claim While Eyeing F1 Seat

Remember when Fernando Alonso decided to move to Aston Martin last year, and Alpine announced Oscar Piastri prematurely without having an actual contract in place? We realized that the former F2 champion signed with McLaren. The whole fiasco around Piastri unfolded. Most of us were wondering what the fiasco around a rookie might be. Well, Oscar Piastri showed everyone this year why he was so valued. But now F2 Champion Theo Pourchaire has come out to make a bold claim against the Australian. But what is it?

Oscar Piastri signed with McLaren last year after Daniel Ricciardo and the Papaya team decided to end the contract early. The rookie had the F1 championship material, Lando Norris, as a teammate. However, apart from the first couple of races, it never looked like Piastri was out of place. And when McLaren came with the upgraded car, the rookie showed everyone what he was made of, matching the likes of Lando Norris. 

Piastri scored a total of 97 points finishing 9th in the driver’s standings and had a sprint race win to show off with two impressive podiums. Theo Pourchaire, on the other hand, won the F2 Championship this year but missed out on an F1 seat for the 2024 season. Theo Pourchaire previously raced against Oscar Piastri in F3 and finished 2nd to him, only 3 points behind. 

The YouTube channel Pitstop interviewed Theo Pourchaire recently. The host pointed out how the F2 Champ finished close behind Piastri in F3 and proceeded to ask whether Pourchaire believed he could beat the McLaren driver. Pourchaire replied, “I would beat him.” When questioned, “You would?” He firmly replied, “Of course, of course.”

Pourchaire then went on to explain how Piastri had a great rookie season with McLaren but backed himself to beat him if given a chance in F1. He added “He [Piastri] is a really good driver of course. I don’t know it’s tough to say it like this I think, I believe I’m on his level. I can probably, if I have my chance to drive in F1 and show my potential, I am already an F3 vice-champion, same in F2 and now a champion in F2, I just need an opportunity to get into F1 and I will give my best for sure.”

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Nonetheless, Pourchaire cannot race in F2 anymore as he was crowned the champion. However, he wasn’t shy about expressing his disappointment at not being given the opportunity to race in F1. 

Theo Pourchaire expresses his dismay

Later in the video, Theo Pourchaire took the Simulator challenge where all the guests on the Pitstop’s show drove around a lap. Oscar Piastri had previously appeared on the show and took the challenge as well. To everyone’s surprise, the F2 Champ beat Oscar Piastri’s lap time and topped the leaderboard. Nonetheless, about a week ago, when it was confirmed that Pourchaire would be racing in F1 the next year, he expressed his concerns.

Theo Pourchaire said, “I am the third F2 Champion in a row who is not promoted to F1. Next year, unfortunately, I will not be on the F1 grid, which is obviously a little disappointing, because it’s a dream to be a Formula 1 driver. As F2 Champion, I think I deserved my place, but it is what it is. It’s not because you are titled in F2 that you are in F1, but frankly, I am disappointed, because I am champion, I have achieved good results, I have done my best.”

Watch this Story: How Oscar Piastri Has Made a Scintillating Rise to the Pinnacle of Motorsport