French driver Sebastien Bourdais threatened legal action against Toro Rosso after being fired by the Formula One team on Thursday.
Toro Rosso said it would announce a replacement for the four-time Champ Car series winner ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, ending a disappointing brief stint in the series for him at just over the halfway point of his second season.
“I am very disappointed and shocked by the decision,” Bourdais said in a statement. “I consider that, in doing so, Scuderia Toro Rosso has breached its contractual duties toward me.”
PHOTO: AP
Toro Rosso principal Franz Tost said: “The partnership has not met our expectations and therefore we have decided to replace him as from the next round of the world championship.”
But Bourdais said his behavior had been professional and the team had violated their contract.
“I have instructed my lawyers to review the situation including the possibility of issuing legal proceedings,” Bourdais said.
The team’s reserve driver, 19-year-old Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, was among the leading contenders to get the drive. If he does, he will be the youngest driver to start an F1 race.
Bourdais was outshone by teammate Sebastian Vettel last year, with the talented German winning the Italian Grand Prix and earning a move this season to Red Bull, where he has emerged as a title contender.
This year, Bourdais was expected to be the senior driver alongside rookie Sebastien Buemi, but the young Swiss earned three points over the opening nine races of the season against two points for Bourdais. Buemi out-qualified Bourdais in seven of nine races.
In all, Bourdais totaled six points from four points finishes across 27 races. He never bettered the effort of his debut in last year’s Australian GP when he was running in fourth place and looked like making a podium finish but suffered an engine failure and was classified in seventh.
He suffered bad luck at last year’s Italian GP as well, which Vettel went on to win. Having qualified fourth after a rain-soaked qualifying session, Bourdais had a strong chance for a career-best finish, but his car stalled on the grid and by the time he started, he was already a lap down.
Bourdais’ removal was the first driver change this season.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two