Sebastien Bourdais rages about Jenson Button's penalty in Bahrain: “I’m uninterested in it”

Cadillac driver Sebastien Bourdais has lashed out on the stewards’ choice to penalise his team-mate Jenson Button within the World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain.

One-time System 1 world champion Button, competing in his last skilled race, was slapped with a 30-second cease/go penalty for inflicting a collision with the #54 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Thomas Flohr within the Bahrain 8 Hours.

The Briton was battling with the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Sheldon van der Linde for sixteenth place within the fourth hour once they approached the Ferrari of gentleman driver Flohr into Flip 3.

Whereas van der Linde took the within line, Button tried to go across the Swiss billionaire and put a lap on the LMGT3 contender. Nonetheless, as they exited the right-hander, the 2 vehicles made contact, sending the Ferrari into the boundaries and triggering the primary security automobile of the race.

Button was deemed “wholy accountable” for the incident by the stewards, with the penalty leaving the #38 Jota Cadillac V-Sequence.R he shared with Bourdais and Earl Bamber two laps down in sixteenth place.

Nonetheless, four-time Champ Automotive title winner Bourdais sharply criticised the decision, arguing it displays a long-running sample of prototypes being punished for incidents involving LMGT3 vehicles.

“I am truthfully uninterested in the stewards’ selections that do not appear to know racing,” the 46-year-old advised Motorsport.com.

“It is extraordinarily irritating. Your complete paddock of drivers and 75% of the paddock goes to suppose that the GT is at fault.

“They’ve cameras, they’ve each means potential to see what is going on on behind them. The man overreacts to the BMW that is poking his nostril to the appropriate and makes contact with the again of JB’s automobile to his entrance. How is that the prototype’s fault?

“What was he imagined to do? When he has to go to the skin, there is no such thing as a room on the appropriate. So the place is he imagined to go?

“I simply need them in some unspecified time in the future to be like, ‘OK, you suppose that is your street. Inform me what it’s that you simply suppose we should always have performed?’ When you have a stable argument, then I perceive. However in any other case, I am sorry. It is only a racing incident and we’re simply fortunate we did not get taken out.

“Sadly, that is by no means the best way they go about it. When there is a crash like this, somebody needs to be responsible – and it is all the time the prototype, and I am simply uninterested in it.

“Sadly, it isn’t even a drive-through or 10-second penalty. So we received that minute misplaced. So then, I do not even know why they allow you to end the race. As a result of they could as nicely park you at that time. You are performed. It is irritating.”

He added: “Each time, it is simply incorrect facet of the fence [for us]. It is irritating. We have eaten all of the crap this 12 months, and hopefully it is going to be a superb one subsequent 12 months.”

Whereas the sister #12 Cadillac raced by Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens completed as the highest Cadillac LMDh automobile in sixth, the #38 by no means gave the impression to be within the hunt for a prime end result.

Bamber began the race from thirteenth on the grid however had dropped in direction of the rear of the pack when he handed over the automobile to Button within the third hour.

Bourdais felt strategic errors left Cadillac on the again foot within the opening phases of the race, earlier than Button’s incident with Flohr ended any hopes of a restoration.

“Actually, we made the incorrect name on technique,” the Frenchman defined. “We had saved gas and we should always have gone lengthy. The engineers overreacted slightly bit to the site visitors scenario and the BMW and as a substitute of going lengthy, we went quick.

“We had deliberate to shortfuel to leap them, however then you definitely shortfuel, as a substitute of having the ability to go quick since you quick gas and also you stopped early, now you have to save gas once more. So, we could not run away.

“That was a giant mistake. Then you definitely miss the practice, you begin to drop time. We misplaced tyre temp, we misplaced house and then you definitely’re not in the appropriate place within the race anymore, and you are not combating.

“So, we put JB within the automobile however the harm was already performed in some methods. We had been praying for a security automobile and sadly, the protection automobile was [caused by] us.”

Full stewards verdict

“Having reviewed the video proof, the stewards decided that Automobiles 38 and 20 had been following Automotive 54 when approaching Flip 3. Automotive 20 tried to overhaul on the right-hand facet, whereas Automotive 38 moved to the skin. Automotive 54 remained within the center, sustaining its racing line with none erratic change of path. On the exit of Flip 3, the rear of Automotive 38 made contact with the entrance of Automotive 54 at hight velocity, inflicting Automotive 54 to spin and crash into the boundaries.

“Contemplating the matter extensively, the stewards concluded that Automotive 38 was wholly chargeable for the incident, as Automotive 54 had acted appropriately all through. The Stewards subsequently determined to impose a 30-second stop-and-go penalty on Automotive 38.”

Images from Bahrain – Race