IndyCar – Bourdais: “This victory is redemption”

Sébastien Bourdais would certainly not have bet on such a result when taking up the grid for the Grand Prix of St Petersburg (Florida) this Sunday March 12. After hitting the wall during qualifying, the Dale Coyne Racing driver had to start from last position. The four-time CART champion took advantage of a premature stop to move to the front when a yellow flag forced much of the rest of the field to refuel during the interruption.

“It was probably the most difficult race to get back to the front. It is very difficult to surpass, declared Sébastien Bourdais who gave Dale Coyne Racing the first victory since Carlos Huertas' success in Houston (Texas) in 2014. It seems that every time we have a car pretty competitive here. She was already performing quite well when I made a mistake in qualifying. Such a turnaround is incredible. »

It's revenge for Sébastien Bourdais who lost victory on the Florida circuit during his first race in IndyCar in 2003 with Newman/Haas Racing.

“This victory is a bit of redemption, added the Sarthois. In 2003, the opposite happened. We had dominated the whole weekend, taking pole, losing the field and everything collapsed when I hit the wall at turn 8. »

his compatriot simon pagenaud (Team Penske) made the colors of France shine a little more by taking 2nd place after applying a similar strategy.

“I would like to congratulate Sébastien for his incredible performance. He was untouchable in this event, added the reigning champion. This weekend has been very difficult, certainly the hardest in a long time. Fortunately, we can count on our lucky stars. »

Discover the report of the St Petersburg Grand Prix produced by our special correspondent in issue 2105 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.