Sebastien Bourdais is fed up with the penalties being handed out to his fellow drivers. The Cadillac racer recently expressed his displeasure regarding the stewards' ruling that penalized his teammate, Jenson Button, during the thrilling finale of the World Endurance Championship in Bahrain. This was an emotional moment, especially since Button, a former Formula 1 world champion, was participating in his last professional race.
In a challenging incident, Button received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty after a collision involving the #54 Ferrari, driven by Thomas Flohr, during the Bahrain 8 Hours. As the race unfolded, Button was engaged in a fierce battle with Sheldon van der Linde’s #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 for the 16th position. Both cars approached the Turn 3, where van der Linde opted for the inside line while Button made a move to overtake Flohr's Ferrari, intending to unlap himself. Unfortunately, contact was made as they exited the turn, causing the Ferrari to smash into the barriers and bringing out the first safety car of the race.
The stewards deemed Button to be “wholly responsible” for the incident. This costly decision resulted in the #38 Jota Cadillac V-Series.R, which Button shared with Bourdais and Earl Bamber, falling two laps behind and finishing in 16th place instead of contending for a better position.
Bourdais, a four-time Champ Car champion, didn't mince words when criticizing the decision. He asserted that this incident highlights an ongoing issue where prototypes are unfairly blamed for collisions with LMGT3 cars, creating a frustrating environment for drivers. “I am honestly tired of the stewards’ judgments that fail to recognize the dynamics of racing,” the 46-year-old driver shared with Autosport. "It’s infuriating. Most drivers in the paddock, around 75%, are likely to think the GT driver was in the wrong.”
He further elaborated on the rationale behind his frustration, explaining that Flohr’s reaction to the BMW overtaking on the right was exaggerated, leading directly to the contact with Button’s vehicle. "What choice did Jenson have? When he's forced wide, there simply wasn't room on his right side. What else could he do?" Bourdais asked, highlighting the unfairness of the stewards' call.
The seasoned racer continued by wishing the stewards would reflect on their decisions more critically, demanding accountability: “At some point, I just want them to consider, ‘You believe this is your track; what should we have done differently?’ If they can present a solid argument, perhaps it would make sense. But otherwise, to me, it was just a racing incident, and we were fortunate not to be completely out of the race.
Regrettably, the stewards don’t operate that way. There’s always a need to assign blame, and sadly, it usually falls on the prototypes. I’m just fed up with it.”
He went on to express his disappointment that the penalty was not a lesser 10-second or drive-through penalty, saying, “We lost a minute because of this. After that point, finishing the race almost seems pointless. It feels hopeless and disheartening.”
Bourdais also lamented that the team has faced continuous setbacks throughout the year, hoping for better luck in the upcoming season. "We’ve encountered so many challenges this year, and I trust that next year will bring improvement," he commented.
In contrast, Bourdais’ sister car, the #12 Cadillac, driven by Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, and Will Stevens, placed sixth, establishing itself as the top Cadillac LMDh entry. However, the #38 Cadillac never seemed poised for a competitive finish. Bamber started in 13th place but fell back early in the race, and unfortunately, by the time Button took over the car, their earlier decisions had already caused significant setbacks in their performance.
Reflecting on their strategy, Bourdais admitted, “We miscalculated early on our fuel strategy. We saved fuel, thinking we could push harder later, but the engineers overreacted to the traffic situation with the BMW. Instead of opting for a longer fuel stint, we made a short stop to leapfrog them. Instead of gaining speed, we found ourselves having to conserve fuel after a premature stop—it was a crucial mistake. We missed the opportunity, started losing time, and fell out of the racing mix.”
As fate would have it, they ended up causing the very safety car situation they had hoped to benefit from.
The Official Verdict from the Stewards: After thoroughly reviewing the situation and the available video footage, the stewards concluded that the #38 and #20 Cadillacs were in pursuit of the #54 Ferrari approaching Turn 3. The #20 attempted to overtake on the right, while the #38 moved to the left. Key to their assessment, the stewards noted that the Ferrari maintained its chosen racing line without erratic movements. Ultimately, as the #38 exited Turn 3 at high speed, contact was made with the Ferrari, resulting in it spinning off into the barriers.
The verdict declared that the #38 was entirely at fault for this incident, as the #54 acted correctly throughout the encounter. Thus, the stewards determined that a 30-second stop-and-go penalty was warranted for the #38 vehicle.
We Want Your Thoughts! How do you feel about the way the stewards handle such incidents? Do you believe pilots should carry the blame for accidents involving slower cars? Let us know your views in the comments below!
To dive deeper into the race and its implications, check out our full coverage.
WEC Bahrain: Ferrari emerges victorious as champions while Toyota clinches the finale.
We would love to hear what you'd like to see from us next. Participate in our survey!
