Sebastien Bourdais is a French professional racing driver who has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar category and became one of the most accomplished drivers in American open-wheel history. Bourdais won four consecutive Champ Car World Series titles from 2004 to 2007 and has 37 wins in that discipline. He also raced in IndyCar from 2011 to 2021 and entered 27 Formula One Grands Prix with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2008–09.
| Nationality | French |
|---|---|
| Born | Sébastien Olivier Bourdais 28 February 1979 Le Mans, France |
Bourdais has been a consistent force in sports car racing, driving for Peugeot, Ford, and Cadillac as a factory driver. He finished runner-up three times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Peugeot (2007–2010) and claimed the GTE-Pro class victory with Ford in 2016.
Formula One Career
Pre-Champ Car Testing
Bourdais’ first taste of Formula One came in 2002 with a test for Arrows and a planned race seat that collapsed when the team went bankrupt. He tested for Renault later that year but lost out on the reserve role to Franck Montagny.
Toro Rosso: 2008–2009
After several test outings in 2007, Toro Rosso confirmed Bourdais as a race driver on 10 August, replacing Vitantonio Liuzzi and partnering rising talent Sebastian Vettel. His debut at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix saw him climb from 17th on the grid to an improbable fourth before an engine failure with three laps remaining. Classified eighth, he later inherited seventh after Rubens Barrichello’s disqualification, earning his first F1 points.
Bourdais’ standout weekend came at Spa, where he ran as high as third before late-race rain dropped him to seventh. At Monza, he qualified an impressive fourth, but a gearbox issue on the grid forced him to start from the pit lane, a lap down. He recovered to set the second-fastest lap of the race, behind only Kimi Räikkönen. Controversy followed at Fuji, where a penalty for a collision with Felipe Massa dropped him from sixth to tenth — a decision many in the paddock criticised.
Over the winter, Bourdais tested extensively for Toro Rosso but faced uncertainty over his seat. He was retained for 2009 alongside rookie Sébastien Buemi, but results were sparse. Points finishes in Australia and Monaco were offset by collisions in Spain and Britain, plus mechanical woes in Germany. By mid-season, the team opted for a change, announcing on 16 July that Bourdais would be replaced from the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix onward. The split led to a contractual dispute, settled with a reported $2.1 million payment to the Frenchman.
Sebastien Bourdais Formula One World Championship career
| Active years | 2008–2009 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Toro Rosso |
| Entries | 27 (27 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 6 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2008 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2009 German Grand Prix |
Sebastien Bourdais Teammates
| 3 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Vettel | 18 | 2008 | |
| Sebastien Buemi | 9 | 2009 |
Sebastien Bourdais Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso STR2B | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | AUS 7 † | MAL Ret | BHR 15 | ESP Ret | TUR Ret | 17th | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Toro Rosso STR3 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | MON Ret | CAN 13 | FRA 17 | GBR 11 | GER 12 | HUN 18 | EUR 10 | BEL 7 | ITA 18 | SIN 12 | JPN 10 | CHN 13 | BRA 14 | |||||||||
| 2009 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso STR4 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | AUS 8 | MAL 10 | CHN 11 | BHR 13 | ESP Ret | MON 8 | TUR 18 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | HUN | EUR | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | BRA | ABU | 19th | 2 |
