15/11/2006
NEWS STORY
Not for the first time, three time Champ Car title winner Sebastian Bourdais has spoken of his frustration at the lack of interest in him from Formula One teams.
Now, however, the Frenchman seems resigned to the fact that F1 was not to be, and will concentrate on winning more Champ Car titles in addition to attempting to win the legendary Le Mans 24 hours.
"I think it's over," he told L'Equipe. "It's frustrating but there are loads of talented drivers who never went to F1, one can always say it's unfair but that's F1, and it's never been fair."
The Frenchman, has previously admitted that he has been approached with regards a test role in F1, but there is never any form of guarantee that this will lead to a race seat. "I was supposed to give up everything I had spent four years building up... for a perhaps?" said Bourdais.
Unlike former Champ Car title winner, Juan Pablo Montoya, who, having failed to make his (true) mark in F1 is now taking part in NASCAR, Bourdais says the American series is of no interest to him, unlike Le Mans.
"I've always said that I would do Le Mans every year I could," he said, "it's a race I want to win. "I hope the discussions with Peugeot come to something but, today, nothing is decided."
France has provided 68 Formula One drivers since the Formula One World Championship first came into existence in 1950, however, only one of them, Alain Prost, has won the title.
At a time when even the future of the French round of the World Championship is in jeopardy, the country that gave us Grand Prix has only one driver anywhere near the grid, Toyota test driver, Franck Montagny, who this year contested seven races for Super Aguri.