Sebastien Bourdais

raul_iulian · 10 Apr 2006, 21:18 (Ref:1578013)

I still don't get it.
Renault is the best as we speak, but a great french driver is in US winning and winning. Why aren't they giving him a seat? I still don't understand that!
He won 2 championships and he is looking good this year 2!
Are his managers incompetents, or it is that hard to get in F1, even if u won 2 championships in US champ car?

What do u think does he have a chance at renault if Alonso goes to Mclaren ?

Knowlesy · 10 Apr 2006, 21:20 (Ref:1578015)

I think Bourdais and Renault fell out long ago.

But I agree, Bourdais deserves a chance. Pity he'll never get it.

Mr V · 10 Apr 2006, 21:24 (Ref:1578021)

He did look the business last night i have to say.

cds_uk · 10 Apr 2006, 21:34 (Ref:1578032)

It`s not just Renault that don`t think he is worth a punt though is it.

Dani Filth · 10 Apr 2006, 21:49 (Ref:1578045)

then they are all those wrong
he delivers on and on .. but i guess he's not that marketable .. so teams aren't interested ..

Knowlesy · 10 Apr 2006, 21:52 (Ref:1578048)

But he's French so you'd think that'd be a pulling point for any F1 teams....we have no French drivers.

Although I accept he is impossibly boring, that really does not count as a reason not to be in F1 because, let's face it, he'd blend in!

He's very good and should get a chance....maybe a lucky opening will occur somewhere.....

DeoValente · 10 Apr 2006, 21:58 (Ref:1578052)

Well perhaps Ferrai can buy him away.

But i think it takes a bit more than to be succesfull champcar driver and jump in F1...look at Zanardi or JPM. I mean, JPM is fast and a great racer but had a lot of problems getting cars home and staying out of trouble.
O, and Bourdais has the odd crash as well. He crashed in his first Champcarrace iirc.

raul_iulian · 10 Apr 2006, 22:06 (Ref:1578057)

Yes there are lots of examples, but still, he is very good in champcar, and he is European !

Knowlesy · 10 Apr 2006, 22:08 (Ref:1578058)

So what do you have to be successful at in order to be any good at F1, out of interest Deo?

DeoValente · 10 Apr 2006, 22:13 (Ref:1578061)

Bring home many points and at the end of the season be at the top of the scoring list is one of the many important issues. Patience, have a nose to pick the right team, luck. Pure racecraft alone is not helping. Champcars is nice but the cars are way more equal than in F1, they can bang wheels a lot more and overtaking is possible.

Knowlesy · 10 Apr 2006, 22:16 (Ref:1578064)

By that basis Bourdais should do well....he managed to pick the best team in Champcar by miles.

BSchneiderFan · 10 Apr 2006, 22:23 (Ref:1578068)

Bourdais does seem to be very talented, and it's long struck me as odd that no F1 team is interested in him.

Hazza · 10 Apr 2006, 22:38 (Ref:1578076)

I think Frank Williams summed it up by saying "Winning the ChampCar series doesn't mean as much as it used to." And he hasn't had much direct opposition except from PT and his team mate.

So it'd be up to him to make the jump to MF1 and proove himself, and then get a drive for the Yellow and Blue boys.

Dani Filth · 10 Apr 2006, 22:42 (Ref:1578077)

he won F3000 .. and Enge did a couple of rounds in F1 .. Wilson got in F1 .. webber is in F1 .. and Liuzzi is in F1 ..

it's the same as Davidson and Super Aguri . how much further up the grid can he get it ?? ..

rocketracer · 10 Apr 2006, 22:53 (Ref:1578079)

i saw an interview on channel 10 last year where sebastien was saying he'd all but given up on driving in F1...

i think it would take at least a year or two to accustomise himself to the different machines, and from my impression in that interview, he sounded p*ssed off and happy to be winning races and championships in champ... The style of racing in champ cars tends to develop a different driving style, so he might be a little too far down that road to come back?

Unless a team really wanted to court him, which it seems they haven't in the past, then i don't think there's going to be too much effort from his management..

Knowlesy · 10 Apr 2006, 23:31 (Ref:1578094)

Well he has said he'd be happy to remain in America as he reckons the future looks bright over there now, with all the positive noises.

And let's face it, he's by no means a failure is he?

DeoValente · 11 Apr 2006, 00:28 (Ref:1578121)

He aint a failure, but so is JPM anything but a failure. And he was big in the USA, drove some really good races there. Now JPM has jumped from Williams to mac and likely to join another team in search for that championship. I wonder if he deep down, dont have a bit of regrets of moving to F1.

mac · 11 Apr 2006, 00:45 (Ref:1578134)

Well if you believe Bourdais, he had very strong interest from BMW during the off-season - but the watertight contract with Villeneuve prevented anything happening there.

Dr Thiessen denies this of course.

cmk · 11 Apr 2006, 01:14 (Ref:1578145)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cds_uk

It`s not just Renault that don`t think he is worth a punt though is it.

Bet Martin Short thinks he's always good for a punt!

JohnSSC · 11 Apr 2006, 01:24 (Ref:1578147)

Taking nothing away from Bourdais, he is, unfortunately in the wrong Series at the wrong time. Kicking the snot out of Nelson Phillipe race in or race out is not the same as being under the various team manager's collective noses in Europe as a tester, which is where someone of his talent should be (de minimus).

The current state of ChampCar from a talent level standpoint is pretty low compared to what it was when Zanardi and Montoya were passing through. The fact that the cars have changed not one whit since the last Ice Age does not help either. Right now, F1 is all about change and adaptability - look at all of the mechanical changes in the last 4 seasons.

In a sense, Bourdais made a "mistake" coming to ChampCar when he did. No blame to him and a credit on him for making the best of it, but like so many drivers before him he just is not in a place where he can truly shine.

ChampCar would have to take a massive step forward in both car technology and the level of talent in the field for Bourdais' "domination" of the field to mean anything more than the fact that he was pick of the litter after Domiguez took out a big part of the field.

gttouring · 11 Apr 2006, 03:05 (Ref:1578182)

mistake of going to Champcar? well I am sure academically it appears so, and not being in front of the power players does hinder further rise. however it is not lost on any one when Bourdais is out at LeMans, or the fact that he is crushing the series, and handling a 800hp turbo monster with no power help. He is talent and not wrecking and running fastest is surely something everyone makes a note of. but i agree 2 seasons as champ, and maybe a third... i would rather race and win, than not. He can go over test for a season after this season-but if the reunification happens- he is in the catbird seat.

boom boom · 11 Apr 2006, 04:14 (Ref:1578201)

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeoValente

Well perhaps Ferrai can buy him away.

But i think it takes a bit more than to be succesfull champcar driver and jump in F1...look at Zanardi or JPM. I mean, JPM is fast and a great racer but had a lot of problems getting cars home and staying out of trouble.
O, and Bourdais has the odd crash as well. He crashed in his first Champcarrace iirc.

Im on the wrong side of the pond so I formost get to see champcar more, but it seems to me a little bit that there is a bias against drivers that do well over here than come to F1 (from fans and teams a like) I know the Zanardi situation alwasy gets expressed along with Michel Andretti (though I did not see any of his F1 drives... I agreee did not well at all..) Zanardi IMHO had a bad car(jv ditched it after his terrible title riegn) and bad politics(any one read his book? great read!) But JPM always gets lumped in there... He won his first year,,, always a threat even the his last year in a not so good williams won the last race.. so he makes a mistake now and then so does everyone else. the thing is he wins. Any driver would love to just get one win and any Team would love to have a JPM... he gives you a chance. I think SeaBass would too... but he would have to have agood team and the right time and thats hard to get in F1
And like Frank expressed Teams do not look at champcar much anynmore right or wrong. As I think there is just little bias exspecilly now and I cant blame them with what the split has done to open wheel over here.But hey I am glad Champ car has got Wilson, Damatta back, Pizzonia(racing here he said it's the first time he has had to shift himself in 5 years

), and hope we keep SeaBass. Seabass could do well with the right team in F1... he deserves a shot and I would be happy if he did but I think he would be better staying here. Dont go SeaBass you wont have any fun no PT to trade insults with... I luv those guys

kmsport · 11 Apr 2006, 04:23 (Ref:1578204)

It could also be a case of getting PAID to drive and PAYING to drive..

Super Hans · 11 Apr 2006, 08:51 (Ref:1578337)

Seb Bourdais has proved himself to be an excellent racing driver, but that isn't enough to secure him a top seat in Formula One.

In modern F1, teams aren't just looking at driving ability, they are looking at the whole package and they may feel that Bourdais is weak from a marketing point of view. I have heard it said that Anthony Davidson's chances have suffered for similarly shallow reasons.

It's a rather depressing thought, but with so many good drivers around, you need that little bit extra to secure a top seat in F1.

BootsOntheSide · 11 Apr 2006, 09:48 (Ref:1578377)

Maybe Bourdais should consider going into GP2, if he is really desperate to race in F1. As stated before, ChampCars does not have the prestige it had when JPM was there, because the field is essentially split inot 2, and on paper ChampCars is marginally the weaker half. Plenty of F3000 champions have not really impressed in F1, only JPM has won multiple races and he probably learnt a lot in his 2 ChampCar years, so that in itself doesn't make you a great target. Bourdais' rookie season in F3000 was nowhere near as good as Alonso's, which got him straight into F1.

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