Set to part ways with Cadillac following this weekend’s World Endurance Championship finale in Monza, Sebastien Bourdais expressed clear frustration regarding the current FIA driver categorisation rules, which he feels leave experienced veterans like him with few viable options.
The 47-year-old Frenchman will not be a part of Cadillac’s Hypercar roster in 2027, with the factory Jota team having signed Antonio Felix da Costa and Ricky Taylor as part of a revised line-up.
With sportscar racing category often having dedicated seats for silver and bronze-rated drivers, the Frenchman believes his platinum status is hurting his chances of securing a new seat for next year.
«Unfortunately, the categorisation for guys like me just puts you into retirement,» Bourdais said. He further explained that his current status will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future due to the age structures built into the system.
«My window of being a professional race car driver is not going to be extremely long. I’m unfortunately platinum and getting closer to 50 years old. And the platinum side isn’t going to change until I’m 55. And even then I’ll be gold, so nothing will change. Once I’m 60, I’ll be silver, maybe.
«Not like Emmanuel Collard, who turned 50 and became silver. That would be really cool, but unfortunately that’s not my reality. It sucks, but it is what it is.»
#38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Sebastien Bourdais, Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken
Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI
Addressing his immediate future after Monza, Bourdais confirmed that no deal has been finalised yet, though discussions are ongoing across different disciplines.
«There are talks [about next year], but just nothing. There’s a few different people that we’re talking with. There’s nothing to the point where there’s a contract on the table,» Bourdais said regarding his plans for next season.
A return to IndyCar appears to be off the table, with Bourdais describing that scenario as quite unlikely.
He emphasised that he is open to various types of machinery, whether in GT, LMP2, or Hypercar, as long as he lands in a welcoming environment.
«All I want to do is drive in a program where someone wants me to drive his car. For me, it’s always where I’ve always delivered and enjoyed myself the most. When you feel interested and somebody wants you there,» Bourdais said.
«I don’t need a particular category to sit in, to feel like I’m at home. When you’re a professional and you’re lucky enough to drive a race car, whether it’s a GT, P2 or GTP, it doesn’t matter. You can have fun in any series.»
His passion for competing remains intact despite the uncertainty: «There’s nothing that passions me the way that driving a race car does. It’s still what I enjoy the most doing.»
«I know it’s not going to last another 10 years. When it’s over, there’s no coming back. I’m not in any kind of hurry to see it disappear. I have plenty of time to enjoy retirement.»
Reflecting on his tenure with Cadillac, Bourdais highlighted this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as a standout memory, alongside strong performances during the IMSA DPI and GTP eras with Chip Ganassi Racing.
«There’s been some good moments. Obviously the 1-2 at Sao Paulo last year. It makes it a little bit more bittersweet to not continue,» he said.
«But at the end of the day, I think the high point was definitely our Le Mans weekend this year. We were obviously very competitive and to be able to lead Le Mans again and feel like you have a proper shot at overall victory was a really cool moment.»
He added that his recent campaign with the JOTA-run car has yielded consistent results despite intense competition in WEC: «For me, this year was the high point of the JOTA program. We finished second, fourth and fourth in the last three races with the car that scored the most points in the last three events. So yeah, I think we’ll just try and keep the trend.»
Heading into his final appearance with the team at Monza, Bourdais remains focused on delivering a strong result rather than getting caught up in emotion.
«Not yet,» Bourdais said when asked if he felt emotional ahead of his final race. «I think obviously I’ve had plenty of time to think about it. At the end of the day, you have to approach it like it’s just another race weekend. Same goals as every time, just to try and do the best we can, given whatever performance level we’ll have this weekend.»
He remains optimistic that the track layout in Italy will suit their package better than previous venues: «I think the potential, the qualities of the car should be more in line with Monza than it was definitely with Barcelona.»
«And obviously there’s no high or low limits as far as results, just do the best that’s achievable. And if it’s a podium or if it’s a win or whatever, it’d be really cool to finish on a high.»
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