Heartbreaking weekend in India for Sebastien Buemi
Top tier motorsport returned to India for the first time in a decade with a thrilling Hyberabad E-Prix, and Envision Racing’s team made brilliants start into the weekend.
During the qualifying, Buemi made it into the head-to-head phase of qualifying once again. The Swiss driver faced off with eventual pole position-winner Mitch Evans, and couldn’t quite match the pace of the Jaguar driver, settling for a superb third place starting slot on the brand new Hyderabad circuit.
At the start of the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix, Buemi did well holding third place. On lap eight, Buemi passed Vergne with a clinical move to take the lead at the turn three hairpin, as race leader Evans elected to take Attack Mode. One lap later, Buemi took his first Attack Mode, crucially emerging in second place, and ahead of Evans’ Jaguar. On lap 10, Vergne moved through the Attack Mode zone, allowing Buemi to resume the lead of the Hyderabad E-Prix. With the dust settled, Vergne took the lead on lap 15 as Buemi took his second Attack Mode, falling back to fourth. The Swiss driver did superbly to defend from the faster Avalanche Andretti car, holding on to third place. Buemi ended up where he started the race in third.
Unfortunately for Buemi, after the chequered flag had flown, the Envision Racing driver was found to have exceeded his energy usage. This brought with it a retrospective drive-through penalty, demoting him down to 15th, and cruelly ending his three-race points-scoring run.
"I am a bit disappointed because the season started very well. Qualifying went well with a nice 3rd place. Unfortunately I made a mistake with the Attack Mode which made me lose some places. The penalty is a bit difficult to accept because throughout the race we had to deal with battery problems. I have the feeling that we are moving in the right direction with the team and the car is getting better and better. I'm already looking forward to Cape Town for the fifth round of the championship." Sébastien Buemi