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SPECIAL: Bourdais Begins Again
Written by: Adam Cooper
RACER Magazine   http://www.racer.com/speedtv
Monte Carlo, Monaco
 
Bourdais carries a lot of local fans' high hopes at Monaco this weekend. (LAT photo) ยป More Photos

Over the last few year times have been tough for French fans. After the retirement of Olivier Panis the country was without a home hero to support, although Frank Montagny had a few outings with Super Aguri in the middle of 2006.

But now France finally has a full-time grand prix driver once again, and a pretty successful one as well. It took him longer than expected, but Sebastien Bourdais has finally made it to the top level this season, having been headhunted from America by Scuderia Toro Rosso boss Gerhard Berger.

In reality, Bourdais could have been there for four or five seasons already, had the breaks gone his way. After he won the 2002 FIA F3000 title he was more than qualified to move straight into F1. First Arrows, the team he’d been talking to, closed down. And then things didn’t work out with Renault after he’d done well in testing.

Instead he crossed the Atlantic to join the Champ Car series. He won the title in only his second season, and went on to win it an impressive three more times. He built a new life for himself, and it seemed that the longer he stayed
stateside, the less likely he was to make it to F1. Then Berger saw what others hadn’t, and decided to give him a chance. Bourdais was not about to turn down the opportunity, and extensive testing gave both sides a chance to get to know each other.

He got off to a great start in Australia, running with the big guys after getting a break on strategy, and eventually claiming seventh place despite retiring before the end. It’s been tougher since then, but he’s shown well against teammate Sebastian Vettel, and it’s easy to forget that this is still his first season.

“Obviously we knew that we were not going to be contending for wins,” he says. “We’ve had our ups and downs, and so far it’s going quite well. We’re doing the best we can with what we have. We hope to make a significant step in terms of pace with the new car.

“I’m very pleased I’m here. It’s very good to finally make it, but in the meantime now we’ve passed the excitement of just being here, now we want to be competitive.”

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