Sebastien Bourdais: Blurbs

In August 2007, it was revealed that Sebastien had been signed to race for Scuderia Toro Rosso in Formula One, for the 2008 season. His final race in the Champ Car series was on December 2,2007. edit »
In 2007, Sebastien changed managers. He is now managed by Nicolas Todt, the son of Ferrari's team boss Jean Todt. edit »
Sebastien was defeated in the Race Drivers' semi-final by Mattias Ekstrom in the Race Of Champions 2006. edit »
Sebastien received a number of offers for test seats in Formula One for the 2007 season, but none of them guaranteed him a racing role in the future. edit »
Sebastien sealed the 2006 Champ Car championship title on Lap 19 in the Australian Lexmark Indy 300 when A.J. Allmendinger ended his day – and his title hunt – in the turn three wall, eliminating himself from title contention and ensuring that Sebastien would join Ted Horn as the only drivers ever to win three consecutive Champ Car titles. edit »
As at the end of 2006, Sebastien joins Ted Horn as the only drivers ever to win three consecutive Champ Car titles. edit »
Sebastien used a dominant performance to earn his sixth Pole Position by setting a new track record around Denver's 1.657-mile street circuit on 12/08/06. edit »
Sebastian achieved pole position for his first 2 races of his Champ Car career. edit »
In 2005, Sebastien had the worst road-course starting spot of his three-year Champ Car career at Edmonton, starting 10th before climbing through the field to win the race. edit »
As at February 2007, Sebastien resides in St. Petersburg in Florida, with his wife, Claire, and daughter Emma. edit »
Sebastien used to play the electronic keyboard for a long time but stopped. After winning a Gibson in Cleveland, he then began to learn how to play guitar but admitted he found it difficult. edit »
If Sebastien wasn't a race car driver, he would like to be a computer expert. edit »
Sebastien's idea of a good night out is a nice dinner with his girlfriend and friends, and to watch a good movie. edit »
Sebastien's favourite drinks are Sparkling water and wine with dinner, and Pina Colada in the off-season. edit »
Sebastien's helmet design was decided by his first sponsor (Duval Espace Fenetre – a company which produces windows in France). edit »
Sebastien lists his father as the greatest influence in his life. edit »
Sebastien's racing hero is Ayrton Senna. edit »
Sebastien lists 'honesty' as the trait he most admires in others. edit »
Sebastien has two favourite restaurants. In Miami - Tutto Pasta, and in France - a small restaurant in Le Mans called “L’auberge du Pont Rouge”. edit »
Sebastien's favourite race track is Spa-Francorchamps. edit »
Sebastien's favourite race cities are Monaco and St Petersburg. He even moved to St Petersburg after the racing there. edit »
Sebastien's favourite vacation is skiing in the Alpes. edit »
As a child, Sebastien used to get into trouble for not eating his cucumbers. He still does not like them. edit »
At home, Sebastien makes mainly pasta recipes. His favourite recipe is Lobster ravioli. edit »
Sebastien's favourite food is a crepe with vanilla ice cream, banana and hot fudge chocolate. edit »
Sebastien's favourite books are “Les Fourmis” (“The Ants”) by Bernard Werber, and “The Unfair Advantage” by Mark Donohue. edit »
Sebastien's favourite actors include Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner, Angelina Jolie and Paul Newman. edit »
Sebastien lists his business interests as "Keeping my racing career going and balancing my checkbook". edit »
Sebastien's height is 5’10” and his weight is approx. 159 lbs. edit »
Sebastien has 2 personal cars: a Silver Mercedes ML350, amd a black Ford Mustang. [2008] edit »
Sebastien earned $234,555 in his 2005 season. edit »
Sebastien's favourite bands are U2, Radiohead and Queen. edit »
Sebastien's hobbies include mountain biking, running, watching movies, swimming. He also enjoys listening to music. edit »
Sebastien broke the track record during practice at Portland International Raceway in 2006. His best lap was more than a quarter of a second quicker than the existing track record, although it will not stand as an official track mark, as records can be set only in qualifying or in a race. edit »
Sebastien's first Champ Car win was at Brands Hatch on May 5, 2003. edit »
Sebastien is the only child of Jocelyne and Patrick Bourdais. edit »
Sebastien sealed the 2005 Cart championship with a spectacular win in Surfers Paradise, Australia, on October 23rd, 2005. edit »
In 2005, Sebastien competed in his first Indianapolis 500. edit »
In 2005, Sebastien completed his first win in a stock car, winning round two of the International Race of Champions season at the Texas Motor Speedway. edit »
In 2004, Sebastien won the Champ Car championship, with 7 wins, 8 poles and 369 points, with the Newman/Haas Racing team. edit »
Sebastien teamed with Sarrazin and Lagorce in a Courage-Peugeot for Pescarolo Sport in November in the 1000 km pre-qualifying race for the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans. edit »
In 2003, Sebastien joined the Newman/Haas Racing team and claimed the pole for his very first race - at St. Petersburg. He also became the first rookie in series history to lead the first lap of his initial Champ Car start. He finished the year as "Champ Car Rookie of the Year" and became the first rookie to win the Greg Moore Legacy Award, which honors the memory of the late Champ Car star. edit »
Sebastien co-drove the Team Labre machine to victory in the 24 Hours of Spa in 2002. edit »
In 2002, Sebastien won the FIA International F3000 Championship, winning races at Imola, Monaco and Nurburgring as well as seven pole positions while driving for Super Nova Racing. He earned seven podiums and turned fastest race lap in three events. edit »
In 2001, Sebastien competed in the FIA International F3000 Championship, winning at Silverstone and taking a pole at the A1 Ring. He earned podiums at Budapest and Hockenheim en route to a fourth-place finish in the championship with Team DAMS. edit »
Sebastien finished fourth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000. edit »
In 2000, Sebastien finished ninth in the FIA International F3000 Championship while competing with Prost Junior Team. He won pole at Magny Cours and placed a season-high second at the French track. edit »
Sebastien competed in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999. edit »
In 1999, Sebastien won the French Formula 3 Championship, winning eight races, three poles and setting four fastest race laps. edit »
In 1998, Sebastien was "Rookie of the Year" in the French Formula 3 Championship, winning five races and four poles to finish sixth in the championship edit »
In 1997, Sebastien won four races and five poles in the French Formula Renault Championship. He earned 11 podium finishes in 16 races. edit »
Sebastien won the 24 Hours of Le Mans karting event in 1996. edit »
In 1996, Sebastien finished seventh in the French Formula Renault Championship, earning one podium finish. edit »
In 1991, at 12 years old, Sebastien began racing in karts (small four-wheeled vehicles). edit »

Sebastien: (on joining Toro Rosso in 2008) I am not pretending we are going to win races in 2008, though it would be awesome – but had I not tried [F1] I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. It certainly feels like it was time for me to go after a new challenge, given the right opportunity, and I think this is the case. edit »
Sebastien: (on earning an F1 drive for 2008) It has been a long time coming, but here we are! I would like to thank everyone at Red Bull for believing in me and giving me this long-awaited opportunity to race in Formula 1. I must also thank Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing for letting me pursue my dream and allowing me to test for Scuderia Toro Rosso a few times this year. edit »
Sebastien: (asked what attracts him to F1) Obviously Formula 1 is the fastest car on the planet - and this is where you want to be when you want to be a top driver. Having won in Champ Cars for three straight years in a row it feels a little bit like: 'What's next?' So we will have to see what the future holds exactly for Sebastien Bourdais. edit »
Sebastien: (on testing an F1 car for Scuderia Toro Rosso at Spa, Belgium in July 2007) It is a lot of fun. Obviously you don't get the chance to test at Spa in a Formula 1 car everyday. It was a great opportunity and even though the weather isn't exactly great, it is still very enjoyable. We have been able to test in all sorts of different conditions - wet, intermediate and dry. It was very interesting. edit »
Sebastien: (after the first test session of 2007) I was surprised myself when the time came up on the dash, but obviously there is a lot more in it as it was six or seven laps into my run when I got the best lap. We know we’re not going to get it all figured out in 50 laps. I think we have some bugs to work out still but the car has a lot of potential. edit »
Sebastien: I've got to accept the fact I might have to enter (F1) by way of the small door. This looks like a good way to do it. edit »
Sebastien: (on the chances of a switch to F1 with the Toro Rosso team in the future) You don't get to test a Formula One (car) for three days if the team doesn't consider you for a near future, but that is totally in their hands and nothing is decided yet. edit »
Sebastien: (after being defeated in Race Drivers' semi-final by Mattias Ekstrom in the 2006 ROC) I was a bit behind in my race against Ekstrom, so I started to push and then I locked my front wheels. I knew at once that I was in trouble and I hit the tyre wall. I tried to continue but the oil temperature warning came on and I slowed. I've had a great day: I won some races and I wasn't kicked out of first round in either competition. So that's good. We've had difficult conditions for driving today but I've had a good time. edit »
Sebastien: (giving up his dream of F1) It's frustrating but there are loads of talented drivers who never went to F1. One can always say it's unfair but that's F1, and it's never been fair. edit »
Sebastien (ending speculation of a switch to F1): I can't give up what I've got in America and throw everything away. edit »
Sebastien (on an F1 drive): I don't expect anything. I'm just doing my job, enjoying myself here. I kind of hope at some point somebody is going to say, 'This kid deserves a chance.' It's going to have to happen pretty damn soon. I'm 27 and getting older. The window is getting very narrow for me and I know it. If it doesn't happen, fair enough. I'm going to have a great career in Champ Cars. I think all the positive talks we hear these days are very encouraging for the open-wheel series in America. We'll see what happens..." edit »
Sebastien (on breaking records): No, I don’t really care about it that much, breaking records. It’s probably important to help bring some attention to the series, there is only so much I can do (to win) and it’s not saying that I’m not going to break a record or I am or bringing pressure into the weekend. I don’t need that. So I’m just going to do as well as I can, get the best out of the car, and do the very best job that I can. And if that is good enough, great. edit »
Sebastien (NASCAR aspirations): Before I say it is my dream to race in NASCAR, I need to see if I am good first. edit »
Sebastien (An angry Bourdais confronted Paul Tracy after 2006 Denver race, giving the Canadian veteran a shove): I just asked Paul 'What do you want from me?' I had passed him but he crashed into me. I just pushed him because he was asking for it but it didn't go any further. He just crashed us. He was obviously in big trouble. He was running out of fuel but that's no excuse to crash the competitor of your team-mate.

I gave him plenty of room. Basically he completely overshot the braking point, got sideways and ran into the side of the car.

He is on probation so I just hope the race officials do what is necessary to correct that unfair situation because it could have been a brilliant day. Despite all the struggles we worked our way back up on the last stint and would have finished second. It's even more disappointing because we worked so hard to get back to the front. edit »
Sebastien: (on his most memorable racing achievements) My first professional title in French Formula 3. Driving for Newman/Haas and testing an F1 car. edit »
Sebastien: (on his favorite movies) Jour de Tonnerre (French) which was Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. I was fairly young when I first saw it and I watched it at least fifty times. More generally I'm a big movie fan and I saw much better ones over the years. Lord of the Rings, Phone Booth,… well I've got to stop because the list is too long!!! edit »