Sebastien Bourdais has been known to be a naturally quick driver throughout his career. A self-confessed risk taker, Bourdais has had plenty of racing experience in a variety of formats and in a variety of countries. His traditional and clean form of driving have drawn comparisons to Alain Prost from a number of critics although Bourdais would be keen to make a name himself.

Sebastien was always inclined towards racing and at a very early age, he saw Karting as his first serious opportunity to race in the big league. He competed in every type of racing that was available before he decided that it was time to get into the Formula racing.

Bourdais started competition racing in the Formula Campus series, in 1995, and ended the series in ninth place overall. Although his finish wasn't in the top end, he did establish himself as a driver with great hunger for winning. In 1996, he moved one step ahead to Formula Renault and his performances were just getting better. He completed the season in 7th place, all the while showing more and more promise of what he was capable of.

He stayed for another season in the Formula Renault series before moving on to the French Formula3000 Championships in 1998. His performances in the season were mind blowing and although his results weren't showing much, he was named as the 'Rookie of the Year'. He came to his own in his second season in the French Formula3000 championships. He took eight wins making the competition look rather ordinary, on his way to the French Formula3000 Championship title.

He moved up to the FIA Formula3000 Championships in 2000 and although he just managed one podium place finish, he impressed everyone a great deal in the Le-Mans 24-hour event finishing fourth overall. He decided to shift from the Junior Prost team to the DAMS team in 2001 for the FIA International Formula3000 championships and again, despite strong performances, failed to get any results of note.

He switched to the Super Nova racing team in 2002 and immediately made up for his poor results in the last two seasons. He ravaged the lineup and finished second only to a clearly superior Tomas Enge. Fortunately for Sebastien, Enge tested positive for Marijuana and was disqualified, make Bourdais the new FIA International Formula3000 champion for the year 2002. It was fitting that after two long and hard years in the series, he finally got what his skill and ability deserved.

Sebastien got the chance he had been waiting for. He tested for the Arrows F1 team late in 2002, but despite getting a berth with the team for the 2003 season, lady luck deserted him once again. The Arrows team declared bankruptcy and he lost out on his chance to drive in Formula One. His despair had a silver lining in the means of testing time with Renault but it didn't materialize into a permanent spot on the team.

Sebastien had had enough of the trials and tribulations of getting a Formula One seat and he decided to turn towards the Champ Car World Series. He signed up with Newman-Hass racing team for the 2003 season and immediately showed his true capability. He took pole position with his first two races and took a win in just his 4th race. He got the 'Rookie of the Year' award for that season and despite not competing in the entire season, he finished it at 4th place.
In 2004, he put his foot on the gas. He took seven race wins and 10 podium finishes on his way to the Champ Car World Title. That wasn't enough for the Frenchman as he went onto win three consecutive titles, a feat that hadn't been achieved since 1948. He took six wins in 2005, with seven podium finishes; and in 2006, he took 8 wins with 9 podium finishes.

He signed with the Newman-Hass racing team, in 2003, and quickly displayed some astounding performances by taking pole positions in his first two races and winning the fourth race. Sebastian finished in 4th place that season and was honoured with the 'Rookie of the Year' award. In the next season, he stepped on the throttle by clinching the championship with seven wins and ten podiums. The Frenchman dominated the Champ Car series arena for the next 3 years and became the first driver to win three consecutive titles since 1948.

He had come out as one of the busiest drivers at the top level of motor-racing and whenever he could, he participated in the Le-Mans 24 hours and although he could never win it, he got his best finish in 2007 when he clinched second place. He also won the IROC series thus becoming the first open-wheel racer in the decade to win the NASCAR driver dominated event. This was, of course, in addition to his fourth title in the Champ Car World Series. Toro Rosso came calling in 2007 for more testing and the possibility of an F1 seat again sat before him. He tested for Toro Rosso several times during his busy 2007 schedule and ended up with a seat for the 2008 season.

In 2008, he will be partnering a young Sebastian Vettel and the duo would be looking to create some waves in the Formula One community. An outspoken personality, Bourdais has always been known to be a thinking driver who is a big planner and strategist before each race. This has, again, brought out similarities between him and the great Alain Prost although only time will tell whether the Frenchman can actually make the same impact as Prost.