Red Flag Heartbreak Leaves Buemi Pointless in Sanya

Formula E's return to Sanya promised plenty for Envision Racing. It ended in frustration, a weekend where the speed was clearly there but the chaos had other ideas.

In sweltering conditions, with track temperatures above 40 degrees and 70% humidity, Sébastien Buemi delivered a strong qualifying lap. Fifth in his session, the Swiss driver missed the duels by just one hundredth of a second, eventually lining up ninth, right behind team mate Joel Eriksson.

The start backed up those ambitions. Buemi moved straight up to seventh on a narrow circuit where every overtake came down to wheel to wheel combat. On lap fourteen he triggered his first Attack Mode and held his place in the leading group. Everything unravelled as he prepared to take the second one, a multi car pile up bringing out the red flag while he was carving through the field. The consequence was instant, his remaining Attack Mode now unusable.

At the restart Buemi sat ninth with seventeen cars still to take Attack Mode, a strategic trap he could no longer escape. Despite a good getaway up to eighth, then a Full Course Yellow for Norman Nato's stricken Nissan, the pace simply was not there to push higher. Buemi crossed the line thirteenth, with Eriksson just ahead in twelfth.

Sanya therefore yields no reward at all, despite genuine potential. Attention now turns to Shanghai, where Envision will be looking to turn that speed into points.