Bourdais' IndyCar Chances Get Slimer

Should Sebastien Bourdais fail to secure a racing spot in the upcoming Formula 1 season, he is likely to sit the 2009 off. Until today, it was believed that the 4-time ChampCar champion would have a good alternative in the IndyCar Series if Toro Rosso were to chose Takuma Sato or even Jenson Button for the new season. However, recent reports from the North American continent made Bourdais' potential transition to the IndyCar even more unlikely.

Bourdais was linked to a future move to Team Penske, replacing tax-evasion-defendant Helio Castroneves. However, team owner Tim Cindric revealed earlier today that the Brazilian will be replaced by Australian driver Will Power in the Penske cockpit.

“While Helio prepares for his court case, we're excited to welcome (Power) to the team. Will has already proved that he's a terrific racer,” confirmed Cindric for the Indianapolis Star earlier on. However, it is yet to be disclosed whether Power will replace Castroneves for the entire season or only throughout his trial dates this year.

Returning to former team Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing seems like the only option for Bourdais under the current circumstances. However, the team has already announced Graham Rahal as official race driver for 2009, with Robert Doornbos in pole position for securing the second remaining seat in the weeks to come. Bourdais and Rahal were teammates two years ago, when competing in the ChampCar Series (Rahal's debut year in the championship).

For the time being, the Scuderia Toro Rosso have announced that they are taking their time before naming Sebastien Buemi's teammate for 2009. Apart from the Frenchman, the team is also considering Takuma Sato and Jenson Button for the No 12 entry in next year's F1 championship.