Former McLaren driver issues clarification after "disgusted" claim went viral

Theo Pourchaire clarifies his reaction after being removed from Arrow McLaren IndyCar team (Image via X/@TPourchaire)
Theo Pourchaire clarifies his reaction after being removed from Arrow McLaren IndyCar team (Image via X/@TPourchaire)

F2 champion Theo Pourchaire recently clarified his comments after being axed by the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team. He said that his comments were taken out of context and that he had no hard feelings towards the British team.

The French driver was hired by the orange IndyCar team, under the direction of CEO Zak Brown, for a special IndyCar debut on April 21 at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Pourchaire was soon hired as a permanent driver after the team saw his performance. He raced in Alabama, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Road America for Arrow McLaren in the 2024 IndyCar series.

But, according to reports, on June 18 he found out that the British team had cut him from the roster and signed Nolan Siegel for the current season and beyond. At that time, he was getting ready for the upcoming race at Laguna Seca.

According to an interview from Auto Hebdo following his departure from the team, Theo Pourchaire said that he was "disgusted" by how McLaren's handling of the situation.

However, in a recent social media post, the French driver said that his words were massively misunderstood by Auto Hebdo. He stated that he was disappointed with the way his words were portrayed.

"I’ve read the article published on AUTOhebdo this week, and I’m disappointed in how grossly inaccurate my words and comments portrayed my interview," Pourchaire wrote.

He claimed in his message that he and the team ended their relationship on good terms and he appreciated their support for him as he looks to get back into racing in IndyCar or other motorsport series. He added that McLaren have followed all the requirements of his contract.

"While I was surprised by McLaren’s decision to take me out of the car ahead of Laguna Seca, we ended on amicable terms. Sure, it’s disappointing not to be racing with the team, but they’ve held up and respected all areas of the contract, and Zak [Brown], Gavin [Ward], and Tony [Kanaan], along with the rest of the team, have been fully supportive of me and my wish to get back into an IndyCar or other racing [car]," he went on.
"There’s no question on McLaren’s stability in its partnerships and their funding, so for AUTOhebdo to include that in my interview, it’s absolutely false. I’m appreciative of the time I had with the team, there are no hard feelings, and I hope this helps correct the perception there’s been about the team and myself," the F2 champion concluded.

Theo Pourchaire's apparent statement after being axed by the McLaren IndyCar team

A few days after Theo Pourchaire was removed from Arrow McLaren's roster for the 2024 IndyCar series, Auto Hebdo had interviewed him. During this interview, he expressed his disappointment for how poorly his contract and situation were handled. However, this particular article was recently claimed as "grossly inaccurate" by the driver himself.

In this disputed interview, Pourchaire had been reported to have said that he had a multi-year contract with the British team in IndyCar. He had then explained how he got to learn that he was out of the team when he was preparing for the race at Laguna Seca. He said that he was "disgusted" by how the team simply told him that he was no longer a part of the team, with no further explanation.

“To be 100 per cent transparent, McLaren had signed me to a multi-year contract to drive with them in IndyCar. And then, on the Tuesday morning before Laguna Seca, I learned from my manager that they had decided not to have me drive at Laguna Seca, as well as for the rest of the season,” Pourchaire said.
“At first, I was very surprised, I didn’t understand, I thought it was fake. We had only signed a few weeks before. I was disgusted. The team ended up calling me for a minute, around 11am that same day, the day before my planned departure for Laguna Seca, to tell me that I was excluded from the program. They didn’t give me the specific reasons,” he added.

After Pourchaire put out a post on his social media handles declaring that the interview was inaccurate, AutoHebdo took down the piece from their website.

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Edited by Eeshaan Tiwary
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