Theo Pourchaire will race for the new Opel GSE Formula E team next season.

The 2023 Formula 2 champion has secured a seat at the German-flagged team alongside Mitch Evans, who is set to be announced after the end of the present season, after already communicating his impending exit from Jaguar.

Pourchaire has tested several times for a range of different outfits since 2022, when he did several runs in the early development of the present Gen3 car, which will give way to the Gen4 car later this year.

He completed three tests for the Maserati MSG team, eventually signing a Stellantis Motorsport contract that has seen him become a full-time driver in the FIA WEC with the Peugeot 9X8 programme.

“It’s the next step in my career and the biggest single-seater opportunity I’ve had so far," said Pourchaire.

"The new Gen4 generation is a perfect fit for my transition from Formula 2: more power, all-wheel drive and incredible acceleration – that’s exactly the kind of car I love. I want to learn, continue developing further and I will give my all from day one to ensure Opel’s success.”

In addition to Pourchaire's MSG testing, he also completed two public tests for Citroen at Miami and Jarama this year, while concurrently doing some Gen4 development running, including at Paul Ricard in April - when the Stellantis development car was run in an Opel test livery.

He continued to be a key contributor to the ongoing Stellantis test programme last month when he and Citroen driver Jean-Eric Vergne put the development car through its paces at Guadix in Spain.

Pourchaire also undertakes simulator work for the Mercedes Formula 1 team as an official development driver. While there is no official technical link between Mercedes and Stellantis, it has been recognised for some time that the three-pointed star marque has been assisting Stellantis with motor technology via the former's High Performance Powertrains technology arm.

Nick Cassidy (Vergne's team-mate at Citroen) is also known to have sim-tested for Mercedes F1, while Citroen development driver Doriane Pin holds roles between Mercedes F1 and Stellantis, after signing with the latter earlier this year as part of its young driver development project.

Why Pourchaire?

Opel is believed to have looked at several available German drivers, notably former Formula 3 driver Tim Tramnitz, who tested the Gen4 car earlier this year alongside Pourchaire. Tramnitz had previously got an opportunity with a Gen3 car via the Cupra Abt team in 2024.

But Opel is known to have been much more impressed with Pourchaire at that test and shortly after it Tramnitz signed a deal to become a factory BMW sportscar driver instead.

Opel Motorsport chief Joerg Schrott is unequivocal when it comes to the signing of Pourchaire, who he says is “top young talent” with “championship pedigree”.

“He has a high racing intelligence,” added Schrott.

“He also has the ability to deliver under championship pressure, and he has this proven winner mindset.

But clearly there is a secondary plan for Pourchaire - and that is the long-term one of building him into a future team leader.

“This is what we have also in mind a bit,” confirmed Schrott (pictured below with Citroen driver Cassidy).

“We can build on him into a long-term factory driver. He has the potential one day to become a team leader, which is pretty cool. We were looking from the very beginning to have a drivers' line-up with an experienced driver and, on the other hand, a young talent, and I think this is our first step.

“Theo is fitting in well. He's a very strong guy. He is fitting very well to all the engineering work. And he's doing a good job also in the simulator.”

Why Opel and not Citroen?

Stellantis has invested heavily in drivers over the last two years across the likes of Evans, Cassidy and, of course, Pourchaire himself.

Preparing itself for the Gen4 era, it has quietly gone about arming itself with some of the best established, and also future, Formula E talent.

It is clear that Pourchaire has been primed for a crack at Formula E since 2024, and while the move is not a huge surprise, some within the paddock expected Pourchaire, as a Frenchman, to race for Citroen rather than Opel next season.

A potential shifting of Nick Cassidy to Opel would have ensured a reprising of the Kiwi superteam of 2023-25 at Jaguar, while Pourchaire joining Vergne could have formed essentially two ‘superteams’ of sorts.

But Stellantis is understood by The Race to have not seriously considered this option, largely due to keeping continuity at Citroen, but also for Opel’s willingness to have both experience and new talent under one roof with its own entry license and a degree of independence.

Opel had also spoken to a number of other established drivers in the lead-up to its announcement of entering Formula E earlier this year. The Race understands that both Oliver Rowland and Nyck de Vries had some talks with Opel - but these ultimately were not taken any further.

Image of Joerg Schrott and Nick Cassidy courtesy of Andreas Beil