Sebastien Bourdais has had a fairly average 2019 season.
The driver of the No.18 SealMaster Honda came into Gateway looking to redeem himself after last season's race, having DNF'd on Lap 2. Bourdais was looking for some magic and it seems his Dale Coyne Racing team may have finally found that spark. With five top tens in their last seven races, Bourdais nearly added his 35th career pole Friday night.
Having the quickest time with only one car left, Bourdais claims his team-mate as one of the reasons he will be starting second.
"He just told me before the last one, ‘That pole will be yours,’ and I told him, ‘Man, you just jinxed it.’" Bourdais joked in the press conference. "You know, massive commitment by the team. Obviously we came, tested here last year and felt like we had a really good car."
Having been wrecked out of last year's race, Bourdais is looking to score his first win of the 2019 season. With a strong team-mate in Santino Ferrucci, Bourdais is confident in the strength of his SealMaster Honda.
"I didn't make it past Turn 2 in the race [Last year], so that was a very short weekend for us, very disappointing," Bourdais added. "But we unloaded quick, as we were hoping, and yeah, really worked out very well for us in qualifying for both cars."
The Frenchman has high hopes for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, having scored his last oval track win 4 season ago in Milwaukee. Bourdais is hoping for a clean and static race, but starting alongside Points leader Josef Newgarden presents its challenges.
With 500 miles ahead of Bourdais, the starting position can be the most important thing at a track like Gateway which is notoriously hard to pass at.
"I think it put a lot of emphasis on qualifying and track position." Bourdais said. "I think the package we have makes it very difficult to be flat on your line in 3 and 4, and therefore once you get some dirty air, it's impossible to be flat. So building the run from out of 1, 2, to back around is just hard."
"So last year we saw a lot of differing strategies with some fuel saving and things," Bourdais added "Which definitely mixed things up and opened some opportunities for passing. So hey, if it's a very static race, starting second, I think I'll be all right with that.
With a young teammate in Santino Ferrucci, Bourdais has had the opportunity to help Ferrcci as he gets accustomed to the IndyCar Series. The two have been able to build a wonderful temmate relationship, building a great almost "father/son" bond.
"He's a good kid. He's obviously young and committed, and no fear whatsoever" Bourdais said. " He kind of helped us a little bit, getting obviously the read on the track condition and what the balance of the car was, so I can definitely thank him for that."
"I wouldn't say I'm mentoring" Bourdais added "I've always been a very straightforward and simple guy, and if he asks questions, I'll definitely answer to the best of my knowledge."
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