Four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais had one of the most disappointing F1 careers of recent years. A genuine talent, he won the F3000 series in 2002, but despite testing for Arrows, pursued a career in the USA rather than F1. Driving for Newman/Haas He dominated the series between 2004 and 2007 before making the switch to F1 with Toro Rosso in 2008. He competed in one and a half seasons for the junior Red Bull team, but in a car not suited to his style, he rarely showed his potential. His lowest ebb came at the Italian Grand Prix in 2008 when he had qualified 4th in the wet but then stalled the car on the grid. He immediately lost a lap and then trundled round to 18th, while his much younger team-mate Sebastian Vettel went on to take victory. He was finally ditched by the team in favour of 19-year-old Jaime Alguersuari after the 2009 German Grand Prix. In the same year he came second at Le Mans with Peugeot but it was little consolation as his single seater career appeared to have hit a dead-end in the football-related Superleague formula.