Firstly, let me say that I think Sebastien has the makings of a great F1 driver BUT coming from a topline Champ Car team (Newman Haas) to a - err- non-podium team in ToroRosso - would that be too much of a shock for him? I'm sure he knows what he's getting into and he's probably already thought about which team he'd like to go to after a year or two with STR but will he get frustrated with the (probable) lack of success in his first F1 team? Shades of Mark Webber - a great driver but always in the wrong team. Yes, I'm an Aussie, by the way!
2007-08-15 23:39:33 · 14 answers · asked by ezc692 4 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ Formula One
Thanks everyone. BTW firefox, I meant that he's going from a winnimg team to a lesser team. I probably didn't phrase it correctly. Nicely thought-out answers from all of you. I'll have to think of another question!
2007-08-19 22:31:14 · update #1
There will be no shock for Bourdais. He knows what he is getting into. He was on his way up the racing ladder when he won the F3000 championship. But something about him prevented him from getting an F1 ride.
But, he knows that STR is not a team that will give him race wins next year. At least, I think that is the case; but strange things have happened in F1 before, like a Spyker even leading a lap of a GP (at Nurburgring). STR is a launch pad for Bourdais. Should he thrive like he has in CCWS, he will get a top ride no later than 2010, when he will be 30 or 31... lots of time to take a run at a championship.
He knows already the pressure of mounting a championship challenge. In fact, maybe better than some of the F1 guys. He has had to battle some years to get it done. As for struggling with a lack of success, it all comes with a view to the final goal. He clearly is willing to get into it and work up or he would not have taken an offer from STR.
The other thing one must bear in mind, and I quite expect Bourdais and his management are doing just this, is that any outfit benefitting from the work of Adrian Newey in the past has made some pretty impressive gains. STR (and of course, then, RBR) may yet surprise in a year or so. And they have the benefit of basically running the same chassis each with a different engine, so they could move their top driver (if need be) into the engine/chassis combination that is best. Moreover, Red Bull has endless financial resources. Don't expect them to stop short of winning. And don't let the modesty of the Faenza shop make you think STR isn't for real. They're the real deal. Things will happen for them in the next couple of years I expect. And if I do, so does Bourdais. :)
RP
2007-08-16 02:35:31 · answer #1 · answered by R P 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, I don't know why he signed on with such a team as Toro Rosso, but that's where he's going after 4 years of being THE man in Champcar. I doubt I could handle the switch, but we'll get to see how Bourdais does. F1 is all about the car. The best driver in the world can't run well without a good car. The team also needs to believe in its driver as well. Many times in F1, this is not the case.
2007-08-16 14:17:41 · answer #2 · answered by Jay 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wonder if he will have the same problem Zanardi did. True, Zanardi's style was a lot more wild, but his problem was he couldn't get used to A) grooved tires, and B) a narrower car, which had way different characteristics than a champcar. And at that point, Williams was NOT the place to be in (it was the Ferarri/McLaren show then, like it is now). And like everyone else said, Torro Rosso is near the bottom of the field, so even if Bourdais drives the car to its full potential, the reults may still be the same as this year. We may be seeing a repeat of Zanardi's or Cristiano DaMatta's F1 careers. Multi-time Champcar champions looking like average drivers due to inferior cars.
2007-08-18 03:08:28 · answer #3 · answered by tweek_8 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say he knows the score. If he is good then he will most likely shine. Mark Webber did a great job in the Minardi and he got noticed, Sebastien will be hoping for the same.
If he does have a good first season and can beat his team mate regularly and annoy cars which should be way ahead then it's likely one of the top teams will grab him.
It might seem like a bit of a risk but I'm sure he's confident of getting noticed and moving on to bigger things.
2007-08-16 07:21:56 · answer #4 · answered by q 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Champions like Sebastien Bourdais assess the situation before committing. He didnt get the 2003 Renault test drive because he didnt want to sign the management deal with Flavio. So in 2008 he wants to race in F1, you bet he is aware of what lies in store.
His shock will be young Vettel in the other racer and the first races will be the battle of the Sebastiens. IMO, the combined star values of the two could bring more fundings to STR and they might not be languishing in the tail end of the pack.
BTW what did you mean by "culture" shock?
2007-08-16 23:59:20 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He's trying to break into F1 racing. Not everyone gets a chance to start out with a top F1 team like LH, even if they are good at other types of racing. Remember, schumi and senna raced a few seasons with less succesful teams when they started. I'm not saying that this guy will be as good as the two but if he does well, ToroRosso could get more funding to improve their cars, or he could get an offer with better team like Bmw...
2007-08-16 10:34:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Way to go, first of all, Sebastion! After he won the F3000 championship, I thought he was going straight to the top of F1. Instead he took the top position from Paul Tracy in Champ Car. Finally he takes it to F1.
I hear you about Webber, too.
2007-08-16 12:18:22 · answer #7 · answered by spec_miata_eliminator 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I was Sebastian, I would of held out for a better team. The best he could go to was Toro Rosso?!?
Guarenteed, within 2 years, he will be kicked out of there, and crawling back to Champ Car, or going off to a sports car endurance series racing at LeMans.
2007-08-16 08:00:27 · answer #8 · answered by martin_rulz6 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think he'll be fine. He's a European -- it's not like finding out Toro Rosso sucks will be some sort of surprise for him. The guy is a very capable driver, and there have been a good number of guys who have started out in worse places and ended up with decent careers out of it -- Alonso comes to mind immediately.
2007-08-16 09:01:30 · answer #9 · answered by Edward S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, he will be going from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a big pond. But what more can he do in ChampCar? Given that he's used to dealing with Tracy, I'm sure he won't let anyone push him around in F1. He'll do OK, and I'm sure even Tracy wishes him luck.
2007-08-16 16:32:24 · answer #10 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋