A new one-year deal for Zhou and exercising a contract extension option for Bottas has left Sauber junior Pourchaire to stay put as reserve driver.
Pourchaire won the 2019 German F4 crown, was the 2020 F3 runner-up and ranked second in F2 in 2022. He is poised to seal the 2023 title in Abu Dhabi, leading Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti by 25 points ahead of the finale.
Pourchaire will join the past two F2 champions Felipe Drugovich and Oscar Piastri by missing out on an immediate F1 promotion. However, a race and possible test programme look likely, according to Sauber managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
Assessing Pourchaire’s future F1 options, the Italian lawyer said: “We are ready to make a deal.
“We are discussing together which will be the best racing programme for him to be ready to jump into the F1 car. No doors are closed for him in the future.
“We have seen with Felipe Drugovich… Piastri as well that, after one year in Formula 2, if there is not actual chance to be a race driver, this doesn't exclude the possibility for the team to appoint in the future.”
Drugovich, a contender for the Alfa seat alongside Bottas, has served as an Aston Martin reserve driver. He has reportedly turned down IndyCar offers and is thought to be a leading candidate to replace Edoardo Mortara at the Maserati Formula E team.
Piastri, meanwhile, undertook an extensive F1 test programme for Alpine in a 2021 car before his fractious switch to McLaren for 2023.
Source: Autosport