“It has been a very long and difficult winter, but now the waiting is finally over and I am really excited about tackling my second season with Scuderia Toro Rosso. I would like to thank Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz for this opportunity to continue with a team that made so much progress last year,” said Bourdais.
“Now, I can focus on preparing for the coming season. It promises to be a very interesting one, thanks to all the rule changes and I'm also looking forward to establishing a good relationship with my new teammate, Sebastien Buemi, to ensure both of us do the best possible job for the team and for Red Bull,” added the 4-time Champ Car Series champion.
Team boss Franz Tost admitted Toro Rosso will demand more of Bourdais in 2009, given the fact that he has already completed one year in the series. Also, he's expected to guide the steps of Sebastien Buemi in his first season in Formula 1.
“After one year with Toro Rosso, we expect him to profit from the experience he gained last season. He now knows the F1 environment, the race tracks and the team. In addition, the slick tyres, which make a comeback this year, should suit his driving style very well,” said Tost.
“Therefore he will tackle the coming season with much more experience under his belt. This will be especially valuable given that our other driver, Sebastien Buemi, is an F1 rookie, who has come up through the ranks of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme,” added the STR boss.
Today's announcement leaves F1 veteran and former Super Aguri driver Takuma Sato without a racing seat in 2009. The Japanese driver was also waiting for an answer from Toro Rosso, having tested for the Faenza-based team 2 times this winter.
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