Before contending for the Formula 2 title in 2022, the French Theo Pourchaire and the Brazilian Felipe Drugovich had already shared the arena of the tracks since their karting days. The Frenchman recalled the beginning of his time spent alongside the Brazilian and revealed an unusual memory that he keeps from the category’s champion.
“I’ve known Felipe for a long time, since karting. I remember the first time I met him. It was in Lonato, Italy. He is a little older than me, so he always competed in the next category,” he recalled in a conversation with F1MANIA.NET at a Peugeot event, the Frenchman’s current team in the WEC (World Endurance Championship), in São Paulo.
The most memorable memory for Pourchaire, however, does not involve a race: “I remember that his mother was at the go-kart track and gave me a cake she had baked at home. It was a very nice family,” he highlighted.
Years later, the two reconnected in Formula 2 and engaged in a fierce championship battle in 2022. Drugovich clinched the title with MP Motorsport, while Pourchaire finished as runner-up with ART Grand Prix.
For the Frenchman, the battle with the Brazilian was a significant moment in his development as a driver. “I think it was very important to have that duel with Felipe in 2022. It was a lot of fun to race against him, and I keep wonderful memories. I also had a lot of bad luck with mechanical problems in the car. I think we could have had an even better duel until the end of the season,” he concluded.
Theo Pourchaire went on to clinch the title the following year, still with ART Grand Prix. He later competed in other categories, such as IndyCar. He currently competes in the World Endurance Championship alongside Malthe Jakobsen and Loïc Duval.
