Sebastien Bourdais needs to forget about Formula One

Well, if you haven't heard by now, it appears another North American open-wheel racing star has been kicked to the curb by his Formula One overlords.

Scuderia Toro Roso (that's Red Bull in Italian for those of you who can't understand European marketing strategies) officially parted ways with Sebastien Bourdais today, bringing an end to a year-and-a-half relationship that really only succeeded in making Cristiano da Matta and Scott Speed not feel so bad.

Of course, is anyone really surprised Sea Bass received Toro Rosso's traditional post-Nurburgring pink slip? There were plenty of folks who knew Bourdais was destined for a quick exit from Formula One when he signed with the team in 2007. And his inability to outperform German wunderkind Sebastian Vettel last year made him a contestant for Formula One's version of "The Gong Show."

But instead of pursuing legal action against Red Bull, Bourdais ought to just turn his back on Formula One and return to North America. The IndyCar Series may not be as glamorous, but Bourdais is a recognizable name in the racing world here, and he could add a dose of legitimacy to a series still rubbing its eyes after emerging from a 13-year civil war.

Plus, wouldn't it be great to see the four-time CART champion roam around the streets of Long Beach next April? He's driven under the checkered flag first three times on Shoreline Drive, and he's just a few more victories away from kicking sand all over Al Unser Jr.'s harbor master title.

So, Bourdais needs to stay positive and forget his failed Formula One experiment. If he feels the European racing itch, he can always call Peugeot to see if they have a new diesel-engined car for him to drive on his hometown streets.

Until then, Bourdais should really consider racing here again. Not only will the fans know who he is, but he might actually have a chance to compete for race victories.

— Austin Knoblauch

Photo: Sebastien Bourdais walks through the Nurburgring paddock on Saturday. Credit: Guillaume Baptiste / AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[Rick]

I am also hoping Bourdais returns to North America. I suppose questions about his ability to set-up an F1car will linger, but since he is a great sports car driver, he should already have offers to drive in ALMS, LMS (European Le Mans Series) or both.

[Simon of Melbourne]

Bourdais' car last season wasn't completely rubbish, his team recorded a lights to flag victory at the Italian Grand Prix. So it was capable of competing at the pointy end of the field on occasion. Bourdais' problem was he simply isn't cut out for Formula One. His teammate for this season, Sebastien Buemi, was considered one of the most underprepared drivers to enter F1 in recent memory yet still out performed Bourdais. It is still possible to impress in a non-race winning machine. Look at Adrian Sutil last weekend. Qualified seventh and was running fourth in a Force India until he was knocked out of the race by his arch nemesis, Kimi Raikkonen for the second year in a row.

[Vivian Mitchell]

Bourdais is better off without Toro Roso. F1 will accept good drivers in good cars and bad drivers in bad cars but a good driver in a bad car inevitably ends up with an acrimonious split. Coming over as a four time champion from an open-wheel spec series, you really cannot question his ability to get the vehicle in race trim but you do have to wonder what his relationship with the team was like. I imagine Bourdais knew the vehicle’s deficiencies but without the funds to necessitate change all the engineers could do is shake their heads and hope that he’d stop talking. All you have to do is ask yourself, “How long would Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso last at Toro Roso?”

[r.u.four69]

sebastian is more than welcome @ indycar series.sick of seeing penske and target fight for the win. cmon back sebastian.