06/02/2009
NEWS STORY
Having revealed yesterday that Sebastien Bourdais will test at Jerez next week, Toro Rosso has now confirmed that the Frenchman will partner Sebastien Buemi this season. The announcement means that all the (confirmed) teams in the 2009 championship have completed their line-ups.
Announcing the decision team boss Franz Tost said: "After one year with Toro Rosso, we expect him to profit from the experience he gained last season. He now knows the F1 environment, the race tracks and the team. In addition, the slick tyres, which make a comeback this year, should suit his driving style very well.
"Therefore he will tackle the coming season with much more experience under his belt. This will be especially valuable given that our other driver, Sebastien Buemi, is an F1 rookie, who has come up through the ranks of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme."
Clearly delighted at the news, Bourdais, who had been considering a return to the United States, said: "It has been a very long and difficult winter, but now the waiting is finally over and I am really excited about tackling my second season with Scuderia Toro Rosso.
"I would like to thank Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz for this opportunity to continue with a team that made so much progress last year. Now, I can focus on preparing for the coming season. It promises to be a very interesting one, thanks to all the rule changes and I'm also looking forward to establishing a good relationship with my new teammate, Sebastien Buemi, to ensure both of us do the best possible job for the team and for Red Bull."
While he clearly struggled in the early part of last season, Bourdais made obvious progress in the latter stages of the year.
Today's news will mean that unless Honda can secure a deal which will see the team line up on the grid in Melbourne, Takuma Sato and Jenson Button are effectively ruled out of the 2009 championship.