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CHAMP CAR CHAMPION Sebastien Bourdais said his Formula One test with Red Hull's Scuderia Toro Rosso at the Jerez Circuit in Spain went so well that he will continue to pursue a ride there. But it won't be until the 2008 season.
"My option with (sponsor) McDonald's and Newman-Haas (for 2007) has long since passed," Bourdais said. "It was Sept. 15."
Bourdais will take Toro Rosso's physical in January, and team co-owner Gerhard Berger said the driver is definitely in contention for a race seat in 2008. Bourdais, 27, said it is time for him to get serious about F1 if he's ever going to make it.
"I've got to accept the fact I might have to enter by way of the small door," he said, referring to Toro Rosso's status.
Bourdais and Indy Racing League rookie-of-the-year Marco Andretti, who tested for Honda, both impressed F1 onlookers during the test. Kourdais steadily improved his lap times during his three-day test and outpaced STR driver Scott Speed on the final two days. However, Speed suffered a major accident on the second day and complained of sore hands, making it difficult to compare the drivers' pace.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Andretti drove only on the test's final day. He completed 67 laps, with a best time iust more than two seconds slower than regular Honda test driver Christian Klien, a solid perfor mance in his first taste of F1. "Formula One is a big dream. Winning the World Championship is the thing I desire the most," he said. "In a perfect world, I would like to win the lndy 500 in the last two years of my contract with [Andretti Green Racing], and then come to Europe."
Man Racer lives
As we revealed last spring ("For True Believers Only," April 17), Dan Davis, Ford's director of racing technology, continues to develop a Mustang-only series to compete on the same hill with Champ Car, which Ford backs with engines. The races will feature 550-hp, spec-series Mustang FR500GTs, built jointly by Ford and Multimatic, the Canadian technology company.
The cars are expected to cost between $200,000 and $250,000. Internally, Ford refers to the car as the "Man Racer," a step up from the "Boy Racer," the 420-hp Mustang FR500C that...
