Top 25 IndyCar drivers of all-time
By Asher Fair
Top IndyCar drivers of all-time: #10 – Sebastien Bourdais
We just got done discussing a driver who is oh-so-close to being a four-time champion. Now let’s take a look at a four-time champion, one who many may argue doesn’t deserve a spot on this list because of when and how his titles were won.
Sebastien Bourdais’s top 10 rank on this list is solely based on what he was able to accomplish during his five seasons in Champ Car. That’s no secret.
While he has had success in the IndyCar Series since becoming a full-time driver in 2013, it’s hard to see him ever becoming the dominant force he was in Champ Car from 2003 to 2007, despite the fact that he did go on a five-year winning streak from 2014 to 2018.
Nevertheless, let’s take a look at what he was able to accomplish in his most dominant years.
His rookie year of 2003 would be the only season that did not result in him being crowned champion. He still won three races and finished in fourth place in the championship standings.
From 2004 to 2007, he competed in 55 races, and he won over half of them (28), taking nine additional podium finishes along the way. He also won every single Grand Prix of Long Beach from 2005 to 2007. His dominance led to him winning all four championships, and he never won fewer than six races in a season.
The 2007 season was the final season for Champ Car, and Bourdais left for an ill-fated stint in Formula 1 that lasted a season and a half.
His 31 Champ Car wins plus his six IndyCar wins give him 37, a total which ranks seventh all-time, and it’s not far-fetched to see him climbing into the top five on the wins list.