Sébastien Olivier Buemi (born 31 October 1988) is a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
*Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
*Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
* Swiss Internation ...
professional racing driver, who competes in the
FIA Formula E Championship for
Envision Racing
The Envision Racing Formula E Team is a British motor racing team based at Silverstone Park and majority-owned by Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Envision Energy that competes in Formula E.
Currently, the two drivers are Nick Cassidy and S ...
. He competed for
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
in
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
from 2009 to 2011. After leaving Formula One, Buemi became a reserve driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso's sister team,
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
from 2012 to 2013. He returned to Red Bull Racing in 2019 as a reserve driver.
Buemi has competed in the
FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Intercont ...
with
Toyota Gazoo Racing (formerly Toyota Racing) since 2012. He became the
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
World Endurance Champion in the LMP1 class.
He won both the
2018 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 86e 24 Heures du Mans) was an 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars held from 16 to 17 June 2018 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close t ...
and, subsequently, the
2018-19 WEC Championship. He also won the
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
,
2020 and
2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Buemi has raced
FIA Formula E Championship with
e.dams Renault (now Nissan e.dams) since 2014. He won the Formula E Championship in 2015-16. Buemi also became part of the Nismo Global Driver Exchange.
Early career
Formula BMW
Born in
Aigle
, neighboring_municipalities= Vaud: Yvorne, Leysin, Ormont-Dessous, Ollon; Valais: Vouvry, Collombey-Muraz
, twintowns = L'Aigle (France), Tübingen (Germany), Bassersdorf (Switzerland)
}
Aigle (French for " eagle", ; frp, Âgllo) is ...
,
Vaud
Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms ...
, Buemi graduated from
karting
Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on ...
and spent 2004 and 2005 in German
Formula BMW
Formula BMW was a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It was positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category. Like Formula Ford, it was intended to function as the young ...
, finishing third and second in the championship respectively. He was also runner up in the 2005 FBMW World Final.
Formula Three
Following a single race in Spanish
Formula Three in 2005, Buemi moved up to the
Formula Three Euroseries
The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched (in its current form) in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship. The ...
for 2006, finishing 12th in the championship, ceding 11th place to
Charlie Kimball
Charles Newton Kimball (born February 20, 1985) is an American race car driver currently competing in the IndyCar Series with A. J. Foyt Enterprises He has scored a win, six podiums, and 13 top 5s. His best season result was ninth in 2013 and 201 ...
on countback. He remained in the series for 2007, and finished second in the championship, behind
Romain Grosjean
Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (; born 17 April 1986) is a Swiss-French professional racing driver, competing under the French flag in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. Grosjean had previously spent nine ...
. He has also competed in the special
Masters of Formula 3
The Masters of Formula 3 was a Formula Three race held annually, usually at the Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Due to noise restrictions in the Zandvoort area, the 2007 and 2008 races were held in the Belgian circuit of Zolder. Howe ...
and
Macau Grand Prix races.
A1 Grand Prix
For the
2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season
The 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season was the second season for the A1 Grand Prix series.
It began on 1 October 2006, at Circuit Park Zandvoort, and the season ended at Brands Hatch on 29 April 2007. A1 Team Germany won it with 128 points, 35 poi ...
, Buemi shared driving duties for
A1 Team Switzerland with
Neel Jani
Neel Jani (born 8 December 1983) is a Swiss professional Porsche factory driver. His father is from India and his mother is German Swiss.
He achieved his greatest success winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 after first joining Porsche's LMP ...
and
Marcel Fässler. The team finished eighth in the championship.
GP2 Series
Buemi was drafted in at short notice to replace the injured
Michael Ammermüller at
ART Grand Prix for the
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
round of the
2007 GP2 Series season. He performed creditably on his
GP2 début, qualifying fourth and finishing seventh. He joined the
Arden International team for the
2008 GP2 Asia Series
The 2008 GP2 Asia Series season was the first GP2 Asia Series season. It started on 25 January and ended on 12 April.
Season summary
Romain Grosjean became the champion despite his teammate Stephen Jelley scoring no points, with their team, A ...
, and finished as runner-up with a win and four second places. He continued with the team for the main
2008 season. He scored his first win in the French sprint race, starting 21st on the grid (after a technical problem in the feature race) on slick tyres on a drying track and benefitting as most rivals had to pit for slicks. He won one more race and ended the season sixth in the championship.
Formula One
On 18 September 2007 he drove the
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwide, inclu ...
RB3 at the F1 test session in
Jerez. He was third quickest on the day, behind
Timo Glock
Timo Glock (born 18 March 1982) is a German professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver. He raced in Formula One for the Jordan, Toyota, Virgin Racing and Marussia F1 teams. He finished 10th in the Drivers' Championship in both ...
(
BMW) and
Vitantonio Liuzzi (
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
) but ahead of names such as
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens "Rubinho" Gonçalves Barrichello (, ; born 23 May 1972) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competed in Formula One between and . He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 111 T ...
(
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
). On 16 January 2008 Red Bull Racing confirmed Buemi as their test and reserve driver for the
2008 season.
At the
2008 Japanese Grand Prix, Buemi drove the medical car as usual driver Dr
Jacques Tropenat had been suffering from an ear problem.
Buemi also drove the medical car at the
Chinese Grand Prix and
Brazilian Grand Prix
The Brazilian Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prêmio do Brasil), currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prêmio de São Paulo), is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace ...
.
Scuderia Toro Rosso (2009–2011)
2009
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
confirmed its signing of Buemi as one of its race drivers on 9 January 2009.
He was the first Swiss driver to take part in an F1 race since
Jean-Denis Délétraz drove for
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
at the
1995 European Grand Prix
The 1995 European Grand Prix (formally the XL Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One motor race held on 1 October 1995 at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany. It was the fourteenth race of the 1995 Formula One World Championship and the first ...
.
In his first race, the
2009 Australian Grand Prix, Buemi outqualified his teammate
Sébastien Bourdais and then scored a point in the race by finishing in eighth position. He was later promoted to seventh place as a result of
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mic ...
being disqualified. At the
Chinese Grand Prix, he scored another point, this time in the wet, finishing eighth after starting tenth. After a mid season dip in the Toro Rosso's form, Buemi rounded off a good weekend to finish 7th in the
2009 Brazilian Grand Prix. He followed this with a third top ten qualification in a row and another points finish at the season finale in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...
. Buemi finished the year sixteenth with 6 points as the best rookie.
2010
On 9 November 2009, it was confirmed that Buemi would race for a second season with Toro Rosso.
During the first free practice session of the
2010 Chinese Grand Prix
The 2010 Chinese Grand Prix (officially the 2010 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at the Shanghai International Circuit in the Jiading District of Shanghai on 18 April 2010. Approximately 85,000 people attended th ...
, a front
suspension wishbone broke under braking on Buemi's Toro Rosso as he braked for Turn 14. The two front wheels flew off while Buemi was travelling at over . One wheel went over the safety fence and landed in a spectator area, missing a camera man on its way. Buemi's car continued to travel forward, veering to the left and sliding along an
Armco barrier
Traffic barriers (sometimes called Armco barriers,AK Steel (formerly Armco) genericized trademark also known in North America as guardrails or guard rails and in Britain as crash barriers) keep vehicles within their roadway and prevent them from ...
, knocking off the front wing. Neither Buemi nor any spectators were injured as a result of the incident. Toro Rosso blamed a failure of a new front right upright for the incident. Buemi completed 2010 with eight points to teammate Alguersuari's five. He was sixteenth again in the drivers' championship.
2011
Buemi, along with his teammate from 2009 and 2010 –
Jaime Alguersuari, continued to race for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2011.
On 14 December 2011 it was announced that both Buemi and Alguersuari had been dropped by the team, and would be replaced by
Daniel Ricciardo and
Jean-Éric Vergne
Jean-Éric Vergne (born 25 April 1990), also known as JEV, is a French racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula E Championship with Dragon Racing. He became the 2017–18 ABB Formula E Champion, after clinching fifth in the New York ePrix ...
for the season.
Red Bull Racing (2012–present)
2012
In January 2012 it was announced that Buemi would rejoin
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
as a test and reserve driver for the season, as well as acting as Toro Rosso's reserve driver.
Buemi continued as
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwide, inclu ...
's test and reserve driver for the and seasons.
Buemi was again announced as reserve driver for 2019 for
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...
. He participated in the 2020 Young Driver's Test with the Milton Keynes squad. As of 2022, Buemi is one of the reserve drivers for Red Bull.
FIA World Endurance Championship
Buemi also signed a deal to contest the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...
with
Toyota Motorsport GmbH, driving a
Toyota TS030 Hybrid
The Toyota TS030 Hybrid is a Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) sports car built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH and used by the manufacturer in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 and 2013. It was Toyota's first all new prototype since the GT-One ...
with
Anthony Davidson
Anthony Denis Davidson (born 18 April 1979) is a British former racing driver, currently working as an analyst for the Sky Sports F1 television channel, as part of the commentary team for WEC TV, as colour commentator for the F1 series of vide ...
and
Hiroaki Ishiura
is a Japanese racing driver. He currently drives in the Super GT series for Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Zent Cerumo.
Born in Tokyo, Ishiura won the Super GT300 championship, in the APR MR-S with Kazuya Oshima, and was the 2015, and 2017 Super F ...
(who later withdrew and was replaced by
Stéphane Sarrazin
Stéphane Jean-Marc Sarrazin (born 2 November 1975) is a French professional racing driver. He has won races across a number of single-seater, sportscar and rallying disciplines and competitions, was French Formula Renault champion in 1994, and ...
). After a strong performance, the car was running in third position in the early evening when Davidson collided with a GT Ferrari and crashed heavily.
In
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, Buemi continued driving with Toyota for a full season and ended with third place in the drivers' championship. For the
2014 season, he drove Toyota's new car – the
Toyota TS040 Hybrid. With four wins and seven podiums from the eight races, Buemi became World Endurance Drivers' Champion with teammate
Anthony Davidson
Anthony Denis Davidson (born 18 April 1979) is a British former racing driver, currently working as an analyst for the Sky Sports F1 television channel, as part of the commentary team for WEC TV, as colour commentator for the F1 series of vide ...
.
As of 2022, Buemi has claimed won the FIA WEC three times and won the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...
four times.
Formula E
Buemi is currently one of the most successful drivers in the series' history having claimed many wins, poles, fastest laps and points in the series.
Renault e.dams (2014–2018)
Buemi raced in the
inaugural Formula E season for
e.dams
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...
alongside Frenchman
Nicolas Prost.
2014–15 season
Buemi's season did not start off easily with a retirement in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
having started from last on the grid and being unable to set a qualifying time at the following round in
Putrajaya
Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya), is a planned capital city which functions as the administrative capital and the judicial capital of Malaysia. The seat of the federal governm ...
, he lined up 19th on the grid. Buemi drove a brilliant recovery race having started in 19th and finishing 3rd on the podium ahead of his teammate who started in 11th. At the third round of the season Buemi secured his first race victory in
Punta del Este. Buemi started on pole at the following round in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
for the first time in his career but crashed out of the race after leading. Buemi went on to win in
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
and the
first London race, both from pole position, whereas he finished second in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
. Buemi finished the season second in the championship, one point short of Nelson Piquet Jr.'s tally.
2015–16 season
In season two, Buemi dominated the early stages of the championship. In the season opening round in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
Buemi secured pole, fastest lap and the race win. The story was looking much the same in the following round in
Putrajaya
Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya), is a planned capital city which functions as the administrative capital and the judicial capital of Malaysia. The seat of the federal governm ...
before Buemi's car experienced mechanical failure while leading the race. Having made a mistake in qualifying in
Punta del Este, Buemi lined up fifth on the grid, but went on to claim his third fastest lap in three races and another race victory. Next he finished second in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
.
After a third-place finish at Paris, Buemi scored his third win of the season at
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
, setting up a nail bitting finale in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. With Buemi needing to finish ahead of rival
Lucas di Grassi
Lucas Tucci di Grassi (born 11 August 1984) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula E World Championship for Mahindra Racing. He became the FIA Formula E Champion in 2016–2017, achieved three overall podi ...
to win the championship in the second race of the weekend, he was hit off by no other than Di Grassi himself at the first corner. Therefore, the title was to be headed to whoever could get the fastest lap bonus points in their second car. Despite the immense pressure, Buemi cruised to the fastest lap to become Formula E champion 2015-16.
2016–17 season
Season three started exceptionally well for Buemi, as he won the first three rounds of the
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, becoming the first Formula E driver to achieve the feat of three consecutive wins. Buemi would go on to take three more wins at
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
before the final 4 races in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
, both double headers.
However, Buemi skipped the New York event due to his
WEC commitments with Toyota and participated in the
6 Hours of Nürburgring instead, with
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwide, inclu ...
F1 test and reserve driver
Pierre Gasly taking his place. In addition, he was disqualified from two races for technical infringements. Ultimately, this loss of points led to Buemi missing out on the championship as rival
Lucas di Grassi
Lucas Tucci di Grassi (born 11 August 1984) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula E World Championship for Mahindra Racing. He became the FIA Formula E Champion in 2016–2017, achieved three overall podi ...
took the title at the final race.
2017–18 season
Buemi endured a tough start to the season, taking only one point from the opening double-header at
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
, having been involved in some incidents, including with previous seasons' title rival Lucas di Grassi. Buemi hit back with pole position at
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
. He led the race throughout, until 4 laps from the end, he was passed by the Mahindra of
Felix Rosenqvist. He achieved two podium finishes at the next two races, to leave him in 4th place in the standings. However, he crashed out of the following race in
Punta del Este. His Renault e.dams, however, proved not to be as competitive as previous seasons, and while consistently scoring in the points, he did not achieve a race win or podium for the next 4 races. In the final ePrix of the season, a double-header at
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Buemi qualified on pole in both rounds, with the final round being achieved in the first wet qualifying session in Formula E history. However, he would slip behind faster cars in the races to 3rd and 4th respectively. This meant he finished the season in 4th place, his lowest position in the standings since Formula E began, with 125 points. Renault e.dams finished the season 5th in the standings, the first time they had not won the Teams' Championship, with Buemi scoring 125 out of the team's 133 points.
Nissan e.dams (2018–2022)
It was announced that the
DAMS would switch from Renault to Nissan from the
2018-19 season. Buemi was initially meant to partner
Alexander Albon
Alexander Albon Ansusinha ( th, อเล็กซานเดอร์ อัลบอน อังศุสิงห์; , , born 23 March 1996) is a Thai-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Williams Racing, under t ...
, who raced for the DAMS Formula 2 team, but he was released by DAMS to join Buemi's former team,
Toro Rosso to race in
F1 in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. Albon was replaced by
Oliver Rowland, who had previously raced for DAMS in Formula 2 in 2017.
2018–19 season
Buemi started the season with 3rd place on the grid, but slipped to 6th by the end of the race. At the next round in
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
, Buemi again started 3rd on the grid, but had to avoid the spinning Techeetah of
Jean-Éric Vergne
Jean-Éric Vergne (born 25 April 1990), also known as JEV, is a French racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula E Championship with Dragon Racing. He became the 2017–18 ABB Formula E Champion, after clinching fifth in the New York ePrix ...
and fell down the order. However, by the end of the race, he recovered to 8th place. At the next race, in
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...
, he inherited pole position when Lucas di Grassi was disqualified for a technical infringement. However, he crashed out of lead towards the end of the race due to a brake failure. Buemi's misfortune continued, when at the next race, both he and his teammate Rowland ran out of energy a lap before the end of the race, running in 4th and 3rd respectively, after Nissan had miscalculated the number of laps remaining. This was followed by a suspension failure causing him to retire from the following round. At the next round he crashed during his superpole run and therefore qualified 6th, but he was later disqualified for a technical infringement and had to start from the pit lane. By the last lap, he had made his way up to 8th place, but while attempting to overtake
Robin Frijns, Buemi ploughed into the back of him, causing Frijns to take out di Grassi, moving Buemi up to 6th, while di Grassi retired on the spot, and Frijns limped back home in 14th. Buemi was given a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision and was classified 8th, the position he was in before the crash. He also had trouble in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
. However, after taking pole for the
Berlin ePrix
The Berlin ePrix is an annual race of the open-wheel car, single-seater, Electric car, electrically powered Formula E championship, held in Berlin, Germany. It was first raced in the 2014–15 Formula E season, 2014–15 season.
Circuits Tempelh ...
, his results improved. He finished second, after di Grassi overtook him and won the race. In
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
, and in Race 2 in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, he finished third. His first victory of the season came in Race 1 in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, after taking pole position. He was under attack from
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
driver
Alex Lynn. However, the Brit retired due to a loss of power. After that, Buemi held a comfortable margin to win the race over Lynn’s teammate,
Mitch Evans
Mitchell William Evans (born 24 June 1994) is a New Zealand professional racing driver. He currently drives for the Jaguar TCS Racing team in Formula E. In 2012, he won the GP3 Series and he raced in the GP2 Series for four years, achievin ...
, who had an incredible comeback from 13th position on the grid. By the end of the season, Buemi had overtaken 11 drivers, including title contenders Evans and di Grassi, to climb from 13th to 2nd in the championship.
2019–20 season
Buemi and
Oliver Rowland were retained by
Nissan e.dams for the
2019–20 season. Buemi finished fourth in the championship standings.
2020–21 season
Nissan e.dams retained Buemi and
Oliver Rowland for the
2020–21 season.
2021–22 season
Buemi continued with
Nissan e.dams with
Maximilian Günther as his new teammate.
Envision Racing (2023–)
In October 2022, Buemi announced that he would switch to the
Envision Racing
The Envision Racing Formula E Team is a British motor racing team based at Silverstone Park and majority-owned by Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Envision Energy that competes in Formula E.
Currently, the two drivers are Nick Cassidy and S ...
team, replacing the outgoing
Robin Frijns and partnering
Nick Cassidy. Additionally, he ended an eight year association with e.dams, which started in his first Formula E season.
Personal life
As of 2009, Buemi resided in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...
with his family and his girlfriend Jennifer. He has since moved to
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
.
He and Jennifer were married in 2015 and they have two sons together. His grandfather Georges Gachnang and his first cousin
Natacha Gachnang are also racing drivers.
In 2013, Buemi and
Johnny Herbert
John Paul "Johnny" Herbert (born 25 June 1964) is a British former racing driver and current television announcer for Sky Sports F1. He raced in Formula One from 1989 to 2000, for seven different teams, winning three races and placing 4th in ...
mentored 6 contestants in a primetime
ITV4
ITV4 is a British free-to-air television channel which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a line-up that consists of sports, cult clas ...
reality series
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...
, with the aim of taking players of the ''
Gran Turismo'' videogames to the
Dubai 24 Hour race as real drivers. Other countries in Europe had heats mentored by
Vitantonio Liuzzi.
Karting record
Karting career summary
Racing record
Racing career summary
Complete Formula BMW ADAC results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
(
key)
Complete GP2 Series results
(
key) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete GP2 Asia Series results
(
key) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One results
(
key)
Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
Complete Formula E results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
References
Career statisticsfrom driverdb.com, retrieved June 2, 2007.
F1 Testing Reportfrom itv-f1.com, retrieved September 19, 2007.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buemi, Sebastien
1988 births
Living people
People from Aigle
Swiss-French people
Swiss expatriates in Bahrain
Swiss people of Italian descent
Swiss racing drivers
People of Campanian descent
People of Sicilian descent
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers
Formula Renault Eurocup drivers
Formula BMW ADAC drivers
A1 Team Switzerland drivers
GP2 Asia Series drivers
GP2 Series drivers
Swiss Formula One drivers
Toro Rosso Formula One drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers
FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
Formula E drivers
Formula E Champions
Lars Kaufmann Motorsport drivers
Mücke Motorsport drivers
Racing Engineering drivers
ART Grand Prix drivers
Arden International drivers
Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers
DAMS drivers
Sportspeople from the canton of Vaud
Motopark Academy drivers
Rebellion Racing drivers
European Le Mans Series drivers
A1 Grand Prix drivers
Nismo drivers
Envision Virgin Racing drivers
Double R Racing drivers
Carlin racing drivers