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After months of waiting, Sebastien Bourdais has finally been told he will retain his race seat with Toro Rosso for 2009, lining up alongside Swiss newcomer Sebastien Buemi.

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Bourdais had a difficult rookie season with the Italian team, but after impressing against some strong competition in winter testing, the Frenchman has at last been given the nod. It means that the only uncertainty in the 2009 team and driver line-up now revolves around the former Honda team, whose future remains unclear.

“It has been a very long and difficult winter, but now the waiting is finally over and I am really excited about tackling my second season with Scuderia Toro Rosso,” Bourdais told the team’s website.

“I would like to thank Red Bull and Dietrich Mateschitz for this opportunity to continue with a team that made so much progress last year. Now, I can focus on preparing for the coming season.

“It promises to be a very interesting one, thanks to all the rule changes and I’m also looking forward to establishing a good relationship with my new team-mate, Sebastien Buemi, to ensure both of us do the best possible job for the team and for Red Bull.”

Commenting on the announcement, Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost, said: “We are pleased that Sebastien will be with us again for another season. After one year with Toro Rosso, we expect him to profit from the experience he gained last season. He now knows the F1 environment, the race tracks and the team.

“In addition, the slick tyres, which make a comeback this year, should suit his driving style very well. Therefore he will tackle the coming season with much more experience under his belt. This will be especially valuable given that our other driver, Sebastien Buemi, is an F1 rookie, who has come up through the ranks of the Red Bull Junior Driver programme.”

Bourdais and Buemi are expected to test with Toro Rosso at Jerez, Spain, next week.

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