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[McLaren Fan]

From F1 Live:

Team seeking some continuity into 2009

A reasonable debut season, but Vettel is fast....
Without giving too much away, Toro Rosso co-owner Gerhard Berger has suggested Sebastien Bourdais' race seat is safe for 2009.

Bourdais, the 29-year-old multiple Champ Car champion, has struggled compared to rising star and team-mate Sebastian Vettel during his rookie season, particularly since the new STR3 arrived at Monaco.

However, he told the French news agency AFP this week that the fact his on-form team-mate is moving up to Red Bull Renault next year is "mostly a good thing for me."

"The team will probably not want to change both its drivers at once," the Frenchman explained.

It has been suggested that Faenza-based Toro Rosso could use the Vettel departure to install an all-new driver line-up in 2009 - perhaps rookies Bruno Senna and Sebastien Buemi.

"I would rather have a mixture of a young driver with an experienced one," Berger is quoted as countering to sportnet.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

Personally, I'm not sure that Bourdais has done enough to keep his seat. Berger is right to say his experience is useful, so perhaps he brings something to the party other than speed.

[bud]

If you dont make it in F1 in your first year its getting harder and harder to keep your seat these days. theres no time to get your footing thats for sure.

I hope he gets a shot at the slicks

[KyrosV]

I never heard Bourdais speek till the other day. what a weird guy...

[scotty]

He may well fare better with the slicks and reduced aero next season as the cars will be a bit closer to what he raced with in CART - but then again, he may just simply be a slower driver that most F1 drivers and just had no competition in CART.

[Kiwi_Chris]

A lot of drivers would struggle when moving from champcars with the huge slick tyres to F1 with the stupid grooved things. His team mate has shown him up all season but we should see his true speed next year

[7UpJordan]

I really do hope Bourdais gets another shot next year, I wonder if Vettel is getting preferential treatment just because he's the so-called "next Schumi"?

[scotty]

I really do hope Bourdais gets another shot next year, I wonder if Vettel is getting preferential treatment just because he's the so-called "next Schumi"?

I could very well be wrong on this one, but didn't Bourdais get to run the new car first (i.e. the one he crashed in testing at Barcelona)? As for Vettel getting preferential treatment, hmm, hard to say really.

My guess would be that the new car just suits his driving style better - he has picked up form a lot since the new car was introduced. Vettel also retired from the first 4 races (usually on the first lap too) so i for one am definately not convinced that he's the 'next Schumacher' so to speak.

Liuzzi should maybe get a chance alongside him imo - i thought it was harsh that he got dropped in the first place, he didn't do that bad a job given the circumstances.

[Rivelution]

I hope Bourdais stays, he even thinks he'll do better with next years car.

[McLaren Fan]

He may well fare better with the slicks and reduced aero next season as the cars will be a bit closer to what he raced with in CART - but then again, he may just simply be a slower driver that most F1 drivers and just had no competition in CART.

True. And there are also question marks over the standard of racing in the US. Bourdais may have been good in Champ Cars which will be more similar to the Formula One cars of next season, but could Formula One drivers not just be better than him nevertheless? When Ayrton Senna drove a Penske Champ Car or Indy Car for the first time in late 1992, within half a dozen laps or so he was over two seconds quicker than the team's usual and fairly successful driver. Then, Nigel Mansell left Formula One in 1992 as World Champion and won the CART World Series in 1993.

Has Bourdais done a good job this season? In my opinion, no. As Berger says, however, he is experienced, and, as a couple of guys have said on here, he could improve next season with the new regulations. Perhaps I was little harsh on him at first and he should be given the chance to show what he can do next season.

[Rivelution]

Has Bourdais done a good job this season? In my opinion, no. As Berger says, however, he is experienced, and, as a couple of guys have said on here, he could improve next season with the new regulations. Perhaps I was little harsh on him at first and he should be given the chance to show what he can do next season.

He definitely should be given an extra chance next season. He obviously has talent because 4 Champ Car titles dont just fall out of the sky.

[headless]

Has Bourdais done a good job this season? In my opinion, no. As Berger says, however, he is experienced, and, as a couple of guys have said on here, he could improve next season with the new regulations. Perhaps I was little harsh on him at first and he should be given the chance to show what he can do next season.

He definitely should be given an extra chance next season. He obviously has talent because 4 Champ Car titles dont just fall out of the sky.

Yes I think he deserves another chance. He hasn't been outstranding but he has been good enough for another season to show his worth.

[f1maniac95]

I think he deserves another chance, next year I'm sure he will do a lot better.

[texasmr2]

He does deserve another chance next season BUT it will be a put-up or shut-up season for him.

[7UpJordan]

He does deserve another chance next season BUT it will be a put-up or shut-up season for him.

I reckon he'll put up, unless Robert Doornbos makes a comeback.

[McLaren Fan]

From F1 Live:

Bourdais needs to up his game
Berger wanting to see more ahead of decision
07/08/08 09:02

Sebastien Bourdais needs to show some better performances this season before his future at Toro Rosso is secure. That is the warning of Gerhard Berger, the Faenza-based team's co-owner.

Bourdais entered Formula One this year after a period of total dominance in the now defunct Champ Car World Series.

But while his team-mate Sebastian Vettel has earned a graduation to the senior Red Bull team for 2009, Bourdais has notably struggled since the latest STR3 chassis made its debut at Monaco.

"What we have seen from him so far has not been too bad," Berger is quoted as saying by the Spanish language magazine Grand Prix.

"Until now he has been in a period of Formula One apprenticeship and putting in a couple of good results.

"Bourdais will continue with us in 2009 only if he really now begins to show us his potential," he insisted.

Meanwhile, amid rising speculation that Bruno Senna is in pole position for Vettel's 2009 seat, Berger also gave a boost to the hopes of Sebastien Buemi, who this year is an official Red Bull test driver.

Berger said another youngster, British F3 racer and Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, is not yet ready for F1.

"It needs to be clear that Alguersuari is still at a very early stage of his development as a driver.

"Of all the Red Bull guys, the only one who could have a chance (for 2009) I think is Buemi," Berger explained.