Nearly three months after his terrifying wreck in Indianapolis 500 qualifying, IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais has been cleared to return to racing.
On his third qualifying lap for the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 on Saturday, May 20th, 2017, IndyCar driver Sebastien Bourdais hit the turn two wall nearly head-on at full speed, causing his #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda to go out of control and flip onto its top.
Bourdais suffered a broken hip and broken pelvis as a result of the wreck. However, after a rehabilitation period of nearly three months, doctors have now cleared him to return to racing, although it is unclear at which of the final four races on IndyCar’s 2017 schedule he will make his much-anticipated return.
It was originally reported that Bourdais would miss the remainder of the 2017 season as a result of the heavy crash. However, he tested at Mid-Ohio a couple of weeks ago and has since been cleared to return, as referenced above.
The 38-year-old Frenchman started off the 2017 season going from last to first at St. Petersburg, becoming the first driver to do so since Scott Dixon pulled it off at Mid-Ohio in 2014.
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Bourdais held onto his lead in the championship standings after a 2nd place finish in the second race of the season at Long Beach and an 8th place finish in the third race of the season at Barber before losing that lead following a first-lap crash at Phoenix and being buried deeper in the standings after engine issues ruined his race at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Since being injured in the wreck, Bourdais has had a number of replacement drivers. James Davison was his first substitute in the Indianapolis 500, and he led two laps of the race after starting in last (33rd) place.
At the Belle Isle doubleheader, Esteban Gutierrez took over the driving duties of the #18 Honda before being replaced by Tristan Vautier at Texas. Vautier put on a show at Texas, qualifying 5th and leading 15 laps of the race. However, he was caught up in a late wreck, which ruined his chances at taking the upset victory. From the Road America race, the race that succeeded the Texas race, up until now, Gutierrez has driven the #18 Honda.
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At which race do you think Sebastien Bourdais will return to the seat of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Finally, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.