Cadillac’s star driver Sebastien Bourdais has unleashed a fierce tirade against the stewards following a controversial penalty that marred Jenson Button’s farewell in the World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain. Button, the former Formula 1 champion, was handed a crushing 30-second stop-and-go penalty after a collision with Thomas Flohr’s #54 Ferrari 296 GT3, leaving the Cadillac team in shambles and prompting Bourdais to vent his frustrations.
In what was supposed to be a celebratory swan song, Button found himself embroiled in chaos during the race’s fourth hour. Competing fiercely for 16th position with Sheldon van der Linde’s #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, Button attempted to overtake Flohr’s Ferrari. But as the trio approached Turn 3, disaster struck. Button tried to slip past the gentleman driver, only for the two to collide, sending the Ferrari crashing into the barriers and triggering an early safety car.
The stewards wasted no time in placing the blame squarely on Button, declaring him “wholly responsible” for the incident and leaving Bourdais and his co-driver Earl Bamber two laps down in an unflattering 16th place. This decision has not only raised eyebrows but has ignited a fierce debate about the treatment of prototype cars in endurance racing.
Bourdais, a four-time Champ Car champion, didn’t hold back in his criticism, expressing his exasperation over what he perceives as a systemic bias against prototypes. “I’m honestly tired of the stewards’ decisions that don’t seem to understand racing,” he fumed. “It’s extremely frustrating. The entire paddock knows that the GT is at fault. They have cameras; they can see everything. The driver overreacts to the BMW and makes contact with the back of JB’s car. How is that the prototype’s fault?”
He continued to lash out, questioning the logic behind the ruling: “What was he supposed to do? When he goes to the outside, there’s no room on the right. So where is he supposed to go? This is just a racing incident, and we’re just lucky we didn’t get taken out. It’s always the prototype that gets penalized, and I’m tired of it.”
Bourdais’ frustration was palpable as he lamented the severity of the penalty: “It’s not even a drive-through or a 10-second penalty. We lost that minute. They might as well park you at that point. You’re done. It’s frustrating.” He added, “Every time, we’re on the wrong side of the fence. It’s been a tough year, and we’re hoping for a better outcome next season.”
As for the race itself, Bourdais criticized his team’s strategic choices, which he felt had already put them on the back foot before Button’s incident. “We made the wrong call on strategy,” he admitted. “Instead of going long with our fuel, we went short. We lost tire temperature and space, and then we weren’t in the right place to compete.”
With tensions running high and the race unfolding in unexpected ways, the Cadillac team found itself trapped in a web of bad decisions and misfortunes. The #38 Cadillac, which started from 13th on the grid, never regained its fighting spirit after Button’s collision. Meanwhile, the sister #12 Cadillac managed to finish as the top Cadillac LMDh car in sixth position, a stark contrast to the woes faced by Bourdais and Button.
In a post-race analysis, the stewards reiterated their stance, stating that they had thoroughly reviewed the incident and found that Button’s Cadillac was at fault for the clash. This ruling has sparked outrage and disbelief among fans and fellow competitors alike, highlighting a growing concern about the treatment of prototype vehicles in endurance racing.
As the dust settles on this explosive race in Bahrain, one thing is certain: Bourdais’ words echo the sentiments of many in the paddock, and the debate surrounding penalties in endurance racing is far from over. Will the stewards heed the calls for change? Only time will tell, but for now, the fallout from this incident is sure to reverberate throughout the motorsport world.
