Toro Rosso ditch Bourdais

Eurosport - Thu, 16 Jul 21:17:00 2009

Spanish teenager Jaime Alguersuari is set to become Formula One's youngest driver after Toro Rosso ran out of patience with France's Sebastien Bourdais.

2009 German GP Toro Rosso Bourdais - 0

The Ferrari-powered team, winners of their home Italian Grand Prix last year with Germany's Sebastian Vettel, said four-times Champ Car champion Bourdais (pictured) had made his last appearance for them.

His replacement will be announced shortly before next week's Hungarian Grand Prix.

"In Sebastien's second year with us, the partnership has not met our expectations," added team boss Franz Tost.

"Therefore we have decided to replace him as from the next round of the World Championship."

The statement did not say who would get the drive but 19-year-old Alguersuari, the team's newly-appointed reserve driver, has been widely tipped to start in Budapest.

The Spaniard, the British Formula Three champion, is competing for his Carlin team in a World Series by Renault race at Le Mans - Bourdais's home town - this weekend.

If confirmed for Hungary, he will make his debut aged 19 years and 125 days. The previous youngest was New Zealand's Mike Thackwell, who entered the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix with Tyrrell aged 19 and 183 days.

Bourdais was in his second season at Toro Rosso but was the first driver to retire from Sunday's German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring and has been regularly out-qualified by Swiss rookie team-mate Sebastien Buemi.

The Frenchman has scored just two points from nine races while Buemi has three.

His future had been in doubt already last year, when he ended with four points to Vettel's 35, but Toro Rosso eventually decided in February to stick with him after testing Japan's Takuma Sato.

Reuters

Comment 51 - 70 of 70

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  1. Sebastien, you lost the coin flip. It could have been­ you, it could have been Buemi. You going to court to­ see if you can get a "best of three flips"­ ruling?

    From Red Ears, on Fri 17 Jul 11:26AM
  2. LET'S FACE IT F1 IS OUT OF BOURDAIS LEAGUE.THESE­ NOT MUCH YOU CAN SAY ABOUT HIM A PART FROM HE WAS @#$%.

    From clive, on Fri 17 Jul 11:16AM
  3. the bloke is as much pants as hamster.

    From Burt, on Fri 17 Jul 3:56AM
  4. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    The boy looks gay,I wouldn't let him drive my car! ­ Michael C.

    From Michael C, on Fri 17 Jul 1:27AM
  5. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    chumpcar does not need another loser, they seem to have­ alot already, check out milka duno sometime
    then there­ are all of the F1 rejects bottling up the field,­ doorknobs and other w@@kers

    From Chris Gaither, on Fri 17 Jul 12:11AM
  6. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    ok darling, we all apologise and promise to work around­ the house this weekend if you let me go out tonight

    From Chris Gaither, on Fri 17 Jul 12:08AM
  7. FRancis dear chap I did write a reply and it does not­ seem to have appeared. Some little gremlin I­ suppose.

    I don't have lots of 'niks'. I­ always have a different id/name for each on line­ activity for example IM or one of the yahoo groups I­ belong to, but I stick to the same name for that­ group.

    On this occassion when updating my profile, (­ which is connexions only) I hit some buitton or other,­ and now the name showing is from my profile, see­ simples.

    Given that one of those nasty chaps said I­ was under stewards investigation to see if I was MGA I­ thought it timely to remind people as I did immediately­ that I was really your HELEN.

    So you know the answer­ when you have different girls or other? call them­ darling, works all the time

    From Ellie, on Thu 16 Jul 11:04PM
  8. Unfortunately La Belle Helen I think Mark the Muppet is­ busy defending other honours tonight. Of course since­ the braying mule has no concept of honour you can't­ expect him to defend you.

    From the real adrian, on Thu 16 Jul 11:00PM
  9. Unfortunately La Belle Helen I think Mark the Muppet is­ busy defending other honours tonight. Of course since­ the braying mule has no concept of honour you can't­ expect him to defend you.

    From the real adrian, on Thu 16 Jul 10:59PM
  10. Actually if you look at the IndyCar schedule now,­ it's half ovals and half road/street courses. And­ Rob, the last IndyCar race there were 5­ "Yanks" on the grid.

    From DingoAteYourBaby, on Thu 16 Jul 10:18PM
  11. sorry about my ignorance regarding the champ car­ series..
    .

    From Colin, on Thu 16 Jul 9:59PM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    wheeennnnnn the moon meets yer eye
    lika big pizza pie­
    thats amorea

    when yer watching the telly
    with yer­ best girl named ellie
    thats amorea

    well hay there­ ellie or helen . whatever yer calling yerself today.­ its hard to stay in love with the women that has 4­ nicks . dont ya no that men get in trouble when there­ laying in tha bed with there woman an hollering another­ lassies name. an fer that matter ya might even be cross­ dressing as mga or adrian. just trying to imagine mga­ in fishnets or adrian with one of them cross yer heart­ bras.

    From Francis S, on Thu 16 Jul 9:28PM
  13. Champ Car WAS primarily street courses. INDY CAR is­ mostly ovals. Champ Car is defunct with a few teams­ rolling into the Indy Racing League.

    From Red Ears, on Thu 16 Jul 9:09PM
  14. Champ Car champions don't seem to cut it in F1,­ must be all those ovals...

    From Colin, on Thu 16 Jul 8:58PM
  15. Probably a joint decision by driver, team and­ management to get out while the going's good, Seb­ will prove himself once again in a better situation for­ him. Alguersuari's in the hot seat now, let's­ hope he has the stature to hold his own.

    From Only Human After All, on Thu 16 Jul 8:51PM
  16. If he was on 35 million a year like Kimi, I could­ inderstand.
    What's Lewis and the other big boys­ done?

    I think It's a shame, he's a good­ driver and needs a better car.

    Maybe with Ruby crying,­ it would be a good idea to sit him in a car next to the­ BUTTON!!!!!!!!!!

    From nick996sps, on Thu 16 Jul 8:45PM
  17. Dodger why so sensitive? People get the axe everyday­ even more talented ones than him. The fact of the­ matter is he isn't that good, he beat up on some­ scrubs in the former chump car world series never­ really facing the best indy drivers who were in the­ IRL. Let him come back to the states and have his head­ handed to him again because thats whats going to happen

    From Randy K, on Thu 16 Jul 7:54PM
  18. no Adrian I have not, I recently posted to say I had­ such a tough day at work leg slapping was just not­ doing, and not a peep, I would have thought that going­ beyond leg slapping would have brought him out from­ under the sofa. In fact my whole week has been tougher­ than tough. Not withstanding (which I cannot do) i find­ out on Monday whether I have to endure another minor­ op.

    I was also hoping he would duff up those nasty­ Scottish chaps that were unpleasent to me, and thought­ he would rush like a Knight in shining Armour, but he­ has been conspicious by his absense. I also thought­ Francis S or Mark the Muppet would be there to defend­ my honour but sadly all their tales of love and­ admiration are clearly worthless dust.

    I shall retire­ to my boudoi thingie to reflect on the fickleness of­ men

    From Ellie, on Thu 16 Jul 7:43PM
  19. if formula 1 dose not want hem, always america has­ their doors open in IRL, a good driver should get a­ better chance.

    From job13salazar, on Thu 16 Jul 7:25PM
  20. im sorry but nakajima and piquet are doing worse than­ he is. i dont like seeing drivers get fired but he­ needs a half decent car, Buemi isnt doin that much­ better (i think...)

    From dodger, on Thu 16 Jul 7:11PM
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