SeaBass is OUT!
 

Kind of a shame - I really kinda' liked the guy when he raced Champ Car and thought he'd do better in F1. STR will probably be better off for it though. Bourdaix's F1 results have been pretty lousy since he got on last season. Maybe he'll end up with ALMS - that'd be cool...

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/149755/1/alguersuari_bourdais_hasnt_given_it_his_all_in_200 9.html

Alguersuari: Bourdais hasn't given it his all in 2009
Jaime Alguersuari stands poised to become the youngest F1 driver in history if the rumours that he is to make his bow in the Hungarian Grand Prix in just under a fortnight's time turn out to be true – and the Spaniard argues that his chance has come about as the outgoing Sébastien Bourdais 'has not given it everything, as he should have'.

The common view within the paddock is that the German Grand Prix on Sunday – one for which Bourdais qualified last and dropped out of contention with hydraulic pressure failure less than a third of the way into the action – was the Frenchman's last with Scuderia Toro Rosso.

His Nürburgring woes, indeed, were fairly representative of an unhappy first half to his sophomore campaign in the top flight that has seen the record-breaking multiple former Champ Car king routinely outpaced by rookie team-mate and namesake Sébastien Buemi. Though he himself denies it, it would seem that for his employers, enough is now enough.

The man being tipped to step into his shoes is reigning British F3 Champion Alguersuari, currently competing in the World Series by Renault for Carlin Motorsport. The Barcelona native presently also acts as reserve driver for both STR and 'parent' outfit Red Bull Racing, and if he does indeed make his debut in Budapest he will break Kiwi Mike Thackwell's 29-year record to become the youngest driver ever to start a race at the highest level. Thackwell was 19 years and 182 days of age when he entered the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix for Tyrrell; Alguersuari will be 19 years and 125 days old when the lights go out in the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

“He is 30, he has a daughter, has won four championships in the American Champ Cars, won F3000 here in Europe and, honestly, is a highly-trained driver,” Alguersuari told Radio Catalunya on the subject of the man he is ostensibly shortly to replace.

“But it seems that this year he has not given it everything, as he should have. I truly believe that the decision by Red Bull is just, but it is never nice to see someone taken away after half a season.”

An official announcement regarding Bourdais' departure is anticipated from Toro Rosso within the next 48 hours, with Alguersuari likely to be confirmed as Buemi's new team-mate following this weekend's World Series meeting at Le Mans in France. The Swiss-Spanish pairing would become the most inexperienced line-up in F1.

Bourdais' manager Nicolas Todt – son of former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt – refused to comment on the matter, with an exasperated Bourdais himself telling French TV broadcaster TF1: “Stop making me talk about this, is that clear? I am under contract. I will be in Hungary.”

He is the epic F1 fail.
Crashing himself out, crashing others out, running last of the pack when his team mate consistently out drove him.
I'm surprised he lasted this long.
It goes to show the difference between the minor leagues (champ, IRL) and the major league (F1).

Just another Indy Car/CART guy that couldn't drive an F1. The American version of open wheel must be poisonous. To never sit in one and only drive in Europe seems to be the way to a successful seat in F1.

Also, the other way around (F1 to Indy) is a sure way to win. Zanardi, Mansell, etc.

Sam and Milt, I have to say I completely agree with both of you. At this time, the US and Indy Car/CART just does not seem to be able to produce a driver capable of driving a F1 car succesfully.

I'm not so sure they are incapable of driving the cars... I think that its the overall amount of effort required to get the car working well.

If you look at J Villeneuve.. he was very quick with a well developed car (thanks D.Hill) and in 96 almost took the title. He did so in 97 with a Hill developed car and his success rate thereafter fell gently to almost nothing as it was clear that his skill lay in racing a car... not developing it.

Montoya was much the same... great racing spirit.. much less development talent. The recent WDCs however have shown above average racing spirit and above average development skill....they bring a better car to the grid than the others and so have an advantage.

I think SeaBass, in spite of his skills simply didn't 'get' the amount of work he was required to do to develop the car to his liking in order to maximise his racing skills.. he can't have been too bad a racer to win in the US.. they don't give race wins away in a Corn Flake packet...

But if the car isn't working well for you.. but its working better for your team mate you look like the weaker link..and so you go..

"the US and Indy Car/CART just does not seem to be able to produce a driver capable of driving a F1 car succesfully" seems very true.

Jacques Villenueve is an interesting point, and was of course successful in F1 (can't be more successful than winning the World Championship, like he did in 97).

But he was not really a product of the US or Indy Car/CART system. Like all F1 drivers, he cut his teeth in karting and the European and Japanese formula series. JV did drive a couple of seasons in CART (where of course he was very successful right out of the box), but wasn't a product of the system.

The F1 cars operate on such a razor's edge, I think the jump for a driver used to the relatively piggish CART style cars is just too much.

On the other hand, for drivers brought up in F1, who have because of age lost their razor sharp reaction times and became no longer competitive in F1, CART proved easy "retirement house" pickings. Mansell, Fittipaldi, etc. When you are used to 100 mph fastballs, it's easy coming to a league where they pitch 70.

I think the point on development is an interesting one. Open-wheel series in the U.S. use spec chassis, correct? There's no room for development by the driver.

It would make sense that drivers that come from this background into F1 have trouble understanding that aspect of the sport.

On the other hand, I can tell you for a fact that JPM can't develop a car, let alone get one set up for a given track properly. I've listened to his radio the past three years in NASCAR and all he does is whine about the cars handling but can't suggest any meaningful changes to the setup. The top drivers in NASCAR understand how a given setup will change the car's handling over the course of a race--how the perfect setup at the beginning won't work as well when the track heats up/cools down etc... JPM seems to completely lack understanding of this.

It's about time and long overdue, IMO.

Agreed. Cart was and IRL is a spec class, cars are basically equally matched with identical engines and components and races are won and lost in the garage and pits.

F1 is a different world, where cars are not equal. Each is better at some things and worse at others, the drivers are a very important part of the development which never ends. The driver needs to help determine what will work and what won't and what compromises should be made. that is what made MS the greatest ever. he was an engineer who could race.

Another part of the equation that many do not realize is that the car changes with every race. Different chassis, different suspension, different everything except maybe engine and transmission. Very rarely do the drivers drive the same car in two different races. F1 is more instinct, more talent, less getting used to something. not much opportunity to develop a technique or skill, it has to be inherent.
A good F1 driver can adapt and drive anything well.
Some drivers are good at driving the same car every race with only minor tweaks, some are not.
I suspect seabass was not.

I was conflicted with him. Part of me wanted to root against him because of his nationality, part of me wanted him to suicceed because he was coming from an American (based) racing league.
I expected him to fail but in some ways hoped he wouldn't.

I dream of the day some fool with lots of money tried to put Danica Patrick in an F1 car. That would be an epic fail.

He wore glasses......

Good job he did - he needs those to see.

That's the main reason I liked him. It kinda gave me hope that one day . . . ;)

Not 100% in agreement with issues of driver talent w/ Bourdais or coming from Champ car to F1...

Looks where he landed at... Toro rosso... last team this year to get the upgraded diffuser - ironically they will have it next week so he's missing out on that chance to prove himself...
Villeneuve did well, but he came to the best team at the time ! Williams...
Montoya did OK and he came at a time when williams was still decent too ! To me it's more where you land... Andretti did not come to MacLaren at the height of their domination either...

Yes, Bourdais should have outclassed him team mates, but unlucky him, Vettel is turning out to be a champion in the making, so looking back a little, he did not do too bad there, and really Buemi only scored 1 point more than him so far and only shone a little more in qualifying.

I've also heard that the technical team at TR really liked Bourdais for his development skills - that seem to be confirmed by the televised "hug" from the tech director after last race, whereas the marketing team had made up their mind to put in another red bull protegé and was just slowing assasinating him in their press releases.... The supposed constant complainign about the car coming from bourdais was way overblown in the press thanks to the TR marketing dept wanting to get rid of him...

All in all, You don't win 1/2 the champ car races you start by sucking completely as a driver. Nor do the laps he did at Le Mans in the 908...

Personally, I think he just did not have the extra "juice" his younger teammate had because he was in a ****e car and risking life and limb to go from 18th to 17th was not worth it to him, whereas Buemi has to prove himself more... I think had he landed in a good car, things might have turned out better for him... To me he was not first tier material in F1, but neither was Damon Hill and in a good car he became WC... If this seaon has proved anything at all, it's that the car is 90% of the equation - Hamilton can't win driving a dog, Button was all but dead and now he's a star...

I'm not an unconditional fan of Bourdais or anything, just met the guy in St Pete on his first Champ car season and he was very approchable and nice... And he wears glasses, I like that, not the uber-perfect young aryan F1 driver, you know...

The issue is that with the right team he could have/ should have been better....but overall he did not do better and sadly he isn't the current 'right stuff' for F1.

As for Button...well he does know how to driver pretty well and with that 'right team' which he has his skills are flourishing..he was always rated as a very talented driver, both in race and development terms.. but too much of a nice guy (or too distracted) which has lost him years of success. He still needs to win a WDC to be viewed as a decent driver.

No major disagreement from me... Though I never rated Damon Hill that high, but no biggie...

Point is, ANY of those guys currently in F1 are exceptional drivers. Very few who start in crap cars manage to get through, though. Alonso and Vettel Did, power to them, they are special.... My point with Hamilton and Button stands (actually I am glad to see this year unfolding because I thought Hamilton was overrated and Button underrated).... You need a great car... If Bourdais was one of those exceptional drivers he would have shone through... Still I don't think he's any worse than a Fisichella, Trulli, Glock, etc etc....