Arrow McLaren has announced that Theo Pourchaire will replace Alexander Rossi for the remainder of the IndyCar event weekend in Toronto.
Rossi ran wide on the exit of Turn 8 during Friday’s practice session, and he was seen clutching his hand in the cockpit after the steering wheel whipped around during the contact.
It was later confirmed that Rossi broke his right thumb and would not be able to compete for the rest of the weekend.
Pourchaire will step into the #7 entry for Saturday’s qualifying and for the race on Sunday, missing today’s practice as he travels from Europe to Toronto.
The choice is particularly interesting, as Pourchaire drove for Arrow McLaren earlier in the season.
The 20-year-old veteran of F2 raced for a couple events in the team’s #6 entry while it was still deciding the long-term plan in the wake of David Malukas’ pre-season injury.
Pourchaire was then told that he was going to be with the team for the remainder of the season, but that was taken back just a few weeks later when the team announced that Nolan Siegel would be taking over the entry.
There has been speculation that Arrow McLaren and Pourchaire did not end their relationship on good terms, especially considering he was promised a nearly full season in IndyCar only to have that taken away, but a recent social media post by Pourchaire denied those rumors.
The late driver change continues a remarkable season full of discontinuity within the team, with Pato O’Ward being the only stable driver all season in the #5 car.
Rossi is fortunate that there is a large break on the IndyCar schedule following this weekend’s race in Toronto, and he will have until August 16 until the next official on track session.
He and the team will hope he can be fully healed by that time in order to compete in the race from World Wide Technology Raceway.
