Bourdais considers legal action after losing F1 ride

Sébastien Bourdais has threatened the Scuderia Toro Rosso team with legal action after being dropped following the German Grand Prix.

The former Champ Car star was replaced in Hungary by 19-year-old Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, who became the youngest driver ever to take part in a Grand Prix weekend.

Bourdais landed the STR seat after impressive testing performances in the summer of 2007. He has never truly fulfilled his potential, however, and last year struggled with a car that didn’t suit his style just as team-mate Sebastian Vettel emerged as a regular points scorer.

The team has a history of unhappy relationships with drivers, having dumped Scott Speed exactly two years earlier to create an opening for Vettel, and dropping Tonio Liuzzi when Bourdais came in.

Alguersuari won the British F3 title with Carlin last season but has had only limited success in this year’s World Series by Renault. But Red Bull regards him as the best-prepared member of its junior ranks. Team boss Franz Tost said that due to the lack of F1 testing, he will have a honeymoon period of at least three races.

Sources suggest that WRC star Sébastien Loeb still has a chance of landing an STR seat for next season.