Sacked Bourdais slams Toro Rosso team 

Source: Photosport

Spanish teenager Jaime Alguersuari is set to become Formula One's youngest ever driver after Toro Rosso sacked France's Sebastien Bourdais on Friday.

The Ferrari-powered team, winners of their home Italian Grand Prix last year with Germany's Sebastian Vettel, said four-times Champ Car champion Bourdais had made his last appearance for them.

His replacement will be announced shortly before next week's Hungarian Grand Prix.

"In Sebastien's second year with us, the partnership has not met our expectations," added team boss Franz Tost. "Therefore we have decided to replace him as from the next round of the world championship."

Bourdais replied with an angry statement of his own, saying he was shocked by the team's actions and threatening legal action for breach of contract.

"I believe that nothing in my behaviour would legitimate a decision of the team to terminate the contract," he said. "I think that the team's decision is in clear violation of Toro Rosso's obligations under the agreement.

"I have instructed my lawyers to review the situation, including the possibility of issuing legal proceedings," added the 30-year-old, who said he had not given up on his Formula One "project" after moving back from the United States.

Youngest driver

The Toro Rosso statement did not say who would get the drive but 19-year-old Alguersuari, the team's newly appointed reserve driver, has been widely tipped to start in Budapest.

The Spaniard, the British Formula Three champion, is competing for his Carlin team in a World Series by Renault race at Le Mans - Bourdais' home town - this weekend.

If confirmed for Hungary, he will make his debut aged 19 years and 125 days.

The previous youngest was New Zealand's Mike Thackwell, who entered the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix with Tyrrell aged 19 and 183 days.

Bourdais has been regularly out-qualified by Swiss rookie team mate Sebastien Buemi, who has scored three points from nine races compared to the Frenchman's two.

His future had been in doubt already last year, when he ended with four points to Vettel's 35, but Toro Rosso eventually decided in February to stick with him after testing Japan's Takuma Sato.

Bourdais said he was particularly frustrated to be dropped before Hungary because the team had a new package coming out there that should see a big improvement in performance.

"I am convinced that if I was given the chance to race with such a new package, I would have had the opportunity to achieve satisfactory results," he said.