Formula One news

Bourdais was looking at other options

Sebastien Bourdais has admitted he had already been looking for a possible return to the USA as the four-times Champcar champion was uncertain of his future in Formula 1. Eventually, the Frenchman was offered a new deal at Scuderia Toro Rosso to race with the team for another season, alongside Swiss newcomer Sebastien Buemi.

During the winter period Bourdais completed a number of test sessions for Toro Rosso but was never certain if the team was willing to offer him a new contract. Finally, in early February, the team announced it will race with Buemi and Bourdais. "I was definitely relieved," Bourdais told Crash.net. "I mean, it's a nasty situation. You wait and wait and wait. I was obviously trying to investigate other options, because other than being a F1 driver, I'm a professional driver..."

Bourdais continued: "...That's what I make a living from, so I needed to make sure that this was still going to be true for '09 and that was not easy. It's been a very long and difficult winter, no need to deny that. It's never easy when you are left uncertain for so long.

At some point I was not hoping so much anymore; I was just trying hard to get a seat, in particular in the States. In the end Toro Rosso came back to us before anything in the States was completed, so here I am!"

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