Théo Pourchaire - One to Watch in 2023

After ending his 2022 Formula Two campaign as runner up, Théo Pourchaire eventually put everyone's minds to rest and confirmed that he will again appear on the Formula 2 grid in 2023. And, after what was a very turbulent 2022 season for the Frenchman, could he be the one to watch this upcoming year?

It's no secret that Pourchaire quite enjoys it at the front of the field. With numerous karting championships to his name, he has also finished in the top two drivers in four out of the five full championships he has contested in single seaters since 2018.

However, as easy as it looks on paper, it hasn't always been plain sailing for the youngster. In 2018, his young age prevented him from being eligible for the main French F4 championship but that didn't stop him from being crowned Junior Champion. Also, as with many a racing driver, Pourchaire has made mistakes here and there. And, not to mention mechanical problems? Yes, that hindered him considerably in 2022. Oh, what could have been.

Pourchaire goes into 2023 in a strong position. Not only is he staying in a championship that he nearly won, he's staying with the same team that gave him the "Vice Champion" status; ART Grand Prix. A prestigious team in the world of junior single seater series. They're very capable of handing Théo another championship.

2022 has also been kind to the driver from Grasse, France in the sense that he has been able to broaden his experiences, edging him ever so closer to a seat in Formula One. As a member of the Sauber Junior Team, Pourchaire found himself as the test driver for Alfa Romeo F1 Team, making his Formula One debut in Free Practice One at that year's USA Grand Prix before participating in the post season tests again with Alfa Romeo.

But F1 were not the only ones eyeing up Théo. Earlier in 2022 he had the opportunity to test the newly debuted Formula E Gen3 car saying that it was "very good and very fast." A potential seat in Formula E was on the cards for the Frenchman in 2023 with Nissan. However, this never came to fruition. As did the Super Formula test over in Suzuka, Japan that Pourchaire was lined up to do. Instead it was back to something more familiar; Formula 2.

Could there be more to this than meets the eye?

Well, quite possibly.

Pourchaire see's himself with a promotion in 2023 when he takes on the role of reserve driver at Alfa Romeo. A role that will need him to be ever more present over the course of an F1 weekend. In that regards, his continuation in F2 just makes sense. And, with Alfa Romeo splitting with Sauber and leaving the sport at the end of 2023, this could leave the door open for Pourchaire in 2024 thanks to his Sauber backing.

With that in mind, Pourchaire will be pushing like mad this year. With the grudge of missing out on the 2022 F2 crown and with a potential F1 seat for 2024; he HAS to deliver in 2023. Could it be now or never?

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can achieve. He deserves a future in the pinnacle of motorsport that is F1 and with a potential F2 crown to add surely he has to be signed somewhere? Well, I guess for now it's a waiting game.

Formula 2 will back racing on Saturday 4th March in Bahrain. I cannot wait. It's going to be good.

A Quick Guide to Formula E in 2023

It's early January in 2023 and Formula E will be back with a bang this weekend as it kicks off it's first race of the season at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico. If you're new to the series or are looking for some light reading, then I'm here to guide you along on what you can expect from this highly anticipated season of the electric racing car series.

A lot of things have changed for this upcoming year. From the reigning World Champion to the technical and sporting regulations to the addition of new races; there's so much going on! Even I need to break it down myself just to understand what's happening.

Let's begin with a quick look at what Formula E actually is.

In short, Formula E is like any other single seater racing championship. The main difference? These cars are electric. Talk about such series came about in 2011 with its inaugural race taking place in 2014. In 2020, the racing series was granted World Championship status by the FIA. The only championship, besides Formula One, to be granted this. To date there have been seven Formula E champions in only eight seasons with Jean-Eric Vergne being the only double champion. Stoffel Vandoorne goes into 2023 as the reigning World Champion. Renault e.Dams have been the most successful team with three team championships.

The upcoming 2023 season will be Formula E's ninth. As mentioned above, Stoffel Vandoorne goes into the season as reigning champion with an eye to hold onto his title. Reigning team champions, Mercedes-EQ, will not partake in this season. And, with the new Formula E Gen3 car, it's going to be an exciting one.

Technical Changes

The technical changes within Formula E will be quite noticeable this year with the introduction of the Gen3 car. In simple terms, it's a new car. The third generation of car, in fact.

With the Gen3 car comes an extra power train, upping the maximum output of energy from 250kW to 600kW. The overall weight of the car will also be reduced by a massive 60kg, making it the lightest car yet! So, with extra power and a reduced weight, be prepared for some Formula E records to be broken when it comes to speed!

What is also quite interesting is that with the extra power train regenerative ability will be increased to 40%, diminishing the need for hydraulic rear brakes.

Finally, on the technical side, there will be a new tyre supplier for this season. Michelin will be leaving the series and Hankook will be replacing them.

Sporting Changes

So, we've established the technical changes but there are a number of sporting changes that are going on too with the big one being the discontinuation of Fanboost.

Fanboost has played a big role in Formula E since it's first season. And, although there is no definitive reason as to why it's been dropped, it has been heavily criticised by race fans in the past.

Then there is "Attack Mode," which has been confirmed to stay for 2023, however, it will be joined by "Attack Charge." This is a new format that will be trialed at a select few races and consists of the driver having to pit for a "recharge" during the race. Once they've done they will be eligible to receive two additional attack modes. If you're unsure as to what attack mode is then it's a mode that enables the driver to have a temporary boost of power.

We've also become quite accustomed to Formula E's timed races. Well, get ready to wave goodbye because we're going down the more traditional route of racing a set number of laps. But that's not all. With safety cars and full course cautions quite probable during a race, extra racing laps will be added on to make up for lost time.

And, as with Formula One, teams are now also required to run a rookie driver in a minimum of two practice sessions over the course of the season.

Teams and Drivers

As we've already established, Vandoorne is the reigning Driver World Champion. His 2022 team, Mercedes-EQ, were the team champions. However, they won't be returning for the upcoming season with their entry and assets being purchased by McLaren who will be making their Formula E debut in '23.

Maserati will also be joining the Formula E grid as they pair up with ROKiT Venturi Racing. This will be Maserati's first time racing as a constructor since they left Formula One in the 1950s.

Then there's Nissan who have taken complete ownership of the the e.Dams team. From this season onwards, they will be known as Nissan Formula E Team.

One of Audi's past partners, ABT Sportline, will be making their Formula E comeback under the name ABT Cupra Formula E Team. However, they will be racing with Mahindra power trains rather than Audi.

Finally, DS and Techeetah would be ending their partnership after four Formula E seasons. DS instead will be teaming up alongside Penske and Techeetah would be taking time away from the sport with a return on the horizon in the future.

As for the driver lineups, a lot has changed. Many drivers have switched teams for the upcoming season. Some, such as Alexander Sims, Oliver Turvey, Nyck de Vries and Antonio Giovinazzi, have also decided to leave the series. Also with new teams comes new drivers. So, who is driving for who?

DS Penske - Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne

NIO 333 Racing - Sérgio Sette Câmara and Dan Ticktum

ABT Cupra Formula E Team - Robin Frijns and Nico Müller

Neom McLaren Formula E Team - Jake Hughes and René Rast

Maserati MSG Racing - Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara

Mahindra Racing - Oliver Rowland and Lucas di Grassi

Jaguar TCS Racing - Mitch Evans and Sam Bird

TAG Huere Porsche Formula E Team - Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wherlein

Envision Racing - Sebastien Buemi and Nick Cassidy

Nissan Formula E Team - Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz

Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team - Jake Dennis and André Lotterer

Races

In Formula E, everything takes place on race day. From practice to qualifying to the race, it's all there.

The day usually starts with a practice session or two lasting 30 minutes before qualifying later in the day.

During qualifying, the drivers are split into two groups based on their championship positions. Everyone in an odd-numbered position goes into one group, everyone with an even goes into another. However, at the first race of the season, the teams will have one driver in each group as no championship positions have yet been established.

During the session, each group gets 10 minutes to set their fastest lap with the fastest four drivers from each group advancing to what is known as the "duels." This is where the drivers battle head to head over the course of a quarter-final, semi-final and a final. The winner of the final starts the race on pole position.

As mentioned before, in 2023, the race will be counted in laps rather than time. And, safety cars and full course yellows will be compensated with extra laps.

So that's how the race weekend works. But where are they racing this season?

In 2023, there are 16 planned races in 11 locations around the world.

For the first time, Mexico City will host the opening round. In recent years, we have seen Diriyah in Saudi Arabi hold the opening race of the season. Instead, Diriyah will be round number two.

Another notable change is the USA round. Previously this has been held in Brooklyn, New York but for 2023 moves across the country to Portland in Oregon at a heavily modified Portland International Raceway.

We also say hello to a handful of new tracks this year including Hyderabad, São Paulo and Cape Town. But that does mean we do have to say farewell to others. Seoul, Marrakesh and Paris were the ones to miss out on a 2023 spot.

Full list of races:

14th Jan - Mexico City

27th and 28th Jan - Diriyah

11th Feb - Hyderabad

25th Feb - Cape Town

25th March - São Paulo

22nd and 23rd April - Berlin

6th May - Monaco

3rd and 4th June - Jakarta

24th June - Portland

15th and 16th July - Rome

29th and 30th July - London

So, there we have it. The 2023 Formula E season in a nutshell. This is going to be one crazy season, that's for sure.

Who do you want to win the championship? Are you going to any races?

Enjoy the season!

Let’s Talk: Some of F1’s More Unusual Moments

In motorsport nothing is set in stone. And, Formula One is no exception to this. In fact, there have been some unusual and bizarre moments that have occurred in F1 history. From the infamous United States Grand Prix in 2005 to the suspension failure on the Toro Rosso during practice at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. These are just two of many moments that have us saying or thinking "wtf?!" So, grab your coffee and cake because we're about to delve into some of F1's more unusual moments.

United States Grand Prix 2005

The most notorious race in the history of F1 and motorsport. Surely you've heard about it?

The race took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 19th June 2005 on a weekend where tyre failures were the main talking points. Two tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone and Michelin, were the tyre suppliers for that season and new rules for 2005 meant that tyre changes were forbidden during race conditions.

After several large accidents at Turn 13 during practice sessions, Michelin advised it's customers that they would need to reduce their speed in that particular corner due to increased tyre loading. If not, the tyres would become unsafe and would end up with a relatively low lifespan of around 10 laps. Michelin could not understand why the tyres were acting like they were in that specific turn so decided to fly in a different compound. In fact, the new compound was used earlier in the year at the Spanish Grand Prix. This tyre also failed at Turn 13.

On race day, all 20 cars who were entered into the race lined up on the grid, as per usual. But, at the end of the formation lap, all cars running Michelin tyres peeled of into the pits leaving the six sole Bridgestone runners. Only six drivers, Schumacher, Barrichello, Montiero, Karthikeyan, Albers and Friesacher, completed the race with the only overtaking being that of lapped cars. Schumacher was the eventual winner with Barichello and Montiero joining him in the podium.

The tyre controversy had a negative impact on Formula One, especially within the US where the race was labelled a "farce" and fans were extremely unhappy. Even teams went as far to tell the FIA to "sort out the sport before there's no sport to sort out." Later findings then suggested that teams were to be "found guilty of not being in possession of suitable tyres" and "failure to allow their cars to race." This decision was later overturned. Fans were eventually reimbursed and F1 returned to Indianapolis the following year. Michelin ceased its partnership with F1 in 2006.

Driving With Two Wheels

Car failures are a regular occurance in motorsport. Whether it's the engine, gearbox, hydraulics etc; failures happen. But during a practice session at the Shanghai International Circuit for the 2010 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, all was not what it seemed down at Toro Rosso.

Then Toro Rosso driver, Sebastien Buemi, was out on track collecting data, as one does during a practice session. While thundering along the main straight at 190mph, both suspension rods at the front of the car seemed to snap as Buemi hit the brakes. Buemi tried to control the car with just two wheels intact but as you would expect he had no luck. However, a cameraman behind the barrier was probably counting his lucky stars after one of the run away tyres hit the barrier and flew over the fencing just missing him.

After an investigation into the very rare occurance, it was concluded that the failure was caused by the "front right upright," a new design that had been introduced for that particular race weekend. The team then reverted to an old design for the rest of the Chinese GP event.

Everyone Runs Out of Fuel

Fuel saving always seems to become a talking point within a Formula One season and it was no different in 1985.

At that years San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, a track notorious for fuel consumption, the FIA decided to enforce new regulations in regards to fuel. A limit of 220 litres had been introduced meaning that teams would have to modify their race strategies dramatically. However, only one team and one driver got it right with almost everyone else running out of fuel before the end of the race.

With only three laps to go, Senna ran out of fuel and was soon followed by Johansson who had inherited the lead from the Brazilian. After a number of other changes for the lead, Prost was the eventual winner. But in true F1 style, the results at the chequered flag were not the official results. Prost was disqualified due to an underweight car. Elio de Angelis was the only driver to make it back to the pits with fuel and therefore inherited the win. Second and third placed drivers, Boutsen and Tambay, both ran out of fuel on the start-finish straight of the last lap. They pushed their cars across the line. Ten out of twenty six drivers were classified at the end of the race with all but one out of fuel. The sixteen classified DNFs were not to do with fuel consumption.

Everybody Wanted A Tow, So No One Got A Tow

Back in 2019, the final qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix was a bit of a mess.

With only 6 minutes left out of the 12 minute session, Raikkonen spun and hit the barrier at Turn 11 causing a red flag and taking himself out of the session. Once the session resumed the track lay quiet with not a single driver appearing to put in a fast lap.

Why?

Well, Monza is one of the best circuits for gaining a tow of another driver. The simple answer is that no one wanted to be first out.

There were only two minutes left when Hulkenberg took to the track in his Renault causing a chain reaction with the other teams and drivers. He went straight on at the first chicane and was accused of purposely trying to let other drivers through so he could get a tow. However, the two drivers behind, Stroll and Sainz, slowed enough so that they would stay in position.

With the drivers squabbling their way around the track, time was starting to disappear and soon things got desperate. Sainz and Leclerc were the only two drivers to finish their out laps in time. Ultimately, everyone behind missed out.

After the qualifying session, which saw Leclerc take pole, there was a lot of criticism on how the session was handled. With numerous team principles labelling the session as a "junior class" and "not F1 worthy." Hulkenberg, Sainz and Stroll were all called to the stewards for unnecessary slow driving and all three drivers received a reprimand. The stewards concluded that these three particular drivers "played a significant role in the backing up of cars at a critical stage of the final out lap for Q3" and that "the stewards strongly recommend that the FIA expedite a solution to this type of situation".

So there you have it with just a small glimpse into some of the more strange and unusual moments that can happen in Formula One. There are plenty more out there so maybe, one day, I'll do a part two. What are your favourite bizarre F1 moments? Let me know in the comments! I'll be looking forward to reading them!