Algarve Pro adds former F2 Champion Pourchaire to ELMS title challenge and Le Mans line-up

Pourchaire made his competitive debut at seven years old and accumulated a handful of French karting titles before graduating to ‘wings and slicks’ open-wheelers at the age of 14.

The Frenchman went on to score two FIA Formula 3 Championship race wins and six additional podiums to finish runner-up in the definitive 2020 standings, and these results served as a springboard onto the second-highest rung of the junior single-seater ladder.

In fact, in 2021, Pourchaire became the F2 Championship’s youngest-ever race winner and polesitter on the streets of Monaco, but it was during his second consecutive campaign that he established himself as a title challenger.

He claimed three victories and a further four podiums to finish the year as runner-up, and he went one better the following season in 2023, winning the F2 Drivers’ Championship and graduating from the Sauber Academy.

The 21-year-old’s latest chapter has encompassed a strong debut in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with Arrow McLaren, as well as a test and development driver role for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), which included an outing in the 9X8 Hypercar at November’s Rookie Test in Bahrain.

However, Pourchaire is now set to take another step in his sportscar racing career by linking with Algarve Pro for a full ELMS LMP2 campaign, and he will fulfil a long-held dream when he joins the Portugal-based team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“I’m so happy to be joining Algarve Pro Racing for the 2025 European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Pourchaire. “This is my first season in endurance racing, which is very different from the single-seaters I’m used to, and I’m looking forward to getting started at the first round of the ELMS in Barcelona.

“Racing at Le Mans has always been a dream for me and will definitely be the highlight of the year. To be able to compete in the 24 hours with such a strong team that has a record of winning the race is going to be awesome. I’m pretty sure we are going to be able to fight for a great position. We will give our best and work hard to bring back ELMS title success and another Le Mans victory.”

Algarve Pro Racing Team Principal, Stewart Cox, said: “Algarve Pro Racing is serious about its ambitions for the 2025 season, and I think that’s reflected in our European Le Mans Series driver line-up. Théo (Pourchaire) is a serious talent who, since winning the 2023 FIA F2 Championship, has proven very adept in a wide range of racing machinery, from INDYCAR single-seaters to Team Peugeot TotalEnergies’ 9X8 Hypercar. This will be his first full season of endurance racing, but I know he will adapt quickly and be an asset to the team as it looks to recover its ELMS titles.”