Sébastien Bourdais

Sebastien Bourdais is a French racing driver who achieved significant success in American open-wheel racing. From 2004 to 2007, he won the IndyCar Championship, which was then known as the Champ Car World Series. In addition to his four titles, he claimed 37 victories, 34 pole positions, and 57 podium finishes.

European Success on the Way to America

Before Sébastien Bourdais began racing in America, he had already achieved significant success in Europe. In 1999, he won the French Formula 3 Championship, followed by the Formula 3000 Championship in 2002. Additionally, the Frenchman found success in sports cars before making his debut with Newman/Haas Racing in the Champ Car World Series in 2003.

Success in the Champ Car World Series

Bourdais started his time in the Champ Car World Series – now the IndyCar Series – strongly, with pole positions in his first two races and a victory in his fourth race. During his second season, he secured his first championship, followed by a second, third, and even fourth title in the subsequent years.

Transition to Formula 1

After his success in America, Bourdais returned to Europe to compete in Formula 1. In his debut for Scuderia Toro Rosso in Melbourne, Australia, he achieved an impressive seventh place. However, the season proved disappointing as Bourdais struggled to adapt to the Formula 1 cars.

After a season and a half in Formula 1, he transitioned to the Superleague Formula, where he made an immediate impact with a second and first place in his first race weekend.

Success in Le Mans and Return to America

Bourdais debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999. His greatest successes came in 2007, 2009, and 2011, when he finished second in the race as a Peugeot driver. In 2011, he returned to America to compete in the reunified IndyCar Series. Despite a limited program with Dale Coyne Racing, he performed well.

In 2012, he moved to Dragon Racing, where he continued to impress, particularly in the second half of the season. In 2013, Bourdais competed for the entire season, earning multiple podium finishes, including second and third places in Toronto and a third place in Baltimore, finishing twelfth in the championship.

Resurgence and Victories

In 2014, Bourdais joined KV Racing Technology and achieved his first victory since 2007 during the race on the streets of Toronto. In 2015, he maintained his strong form with two wins in Detroit, Belle Isle, and on the historic Milwaukee Mile. In 2016, he stayed with KVSH Racing and added another Detroit win to his record.

Serious Crash in Indianapolis Overshadows 2017 Season

The 2017 season started promisingly as Bourdais returned to Dale Coyne Racing with Bill Pappas as his engineer. He won the season opener in St. Petersburg, but during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, he suffered a severe crash. He spent weeks recovering but returned later in the season to compete in the final three races.

Final IndyCar Seasons

In 2020, Bourdais took a step back and competed in just three IndyCar races for A.J. Foyt Racing, with a fourth place in St. Petersburg as his best result. In 2021, he raced his final full season in the IndyCar Series, finishing fifth twice.

IMSA SportsCar Championship

After his IndyCar career, Bourdais returned to the IMSA SportsCar Championship. He spent three seasons driving a Cadillac hypercar for Chip Ganassi Racing alongside Dutch driver Renger van der Zande. In both 2022 and 2024, the duo finished third in the championship.