Sebastien Buemi reckons he should have “accepted P2” at the start of the Mexico City E-Prix, rather than utilising the defensive driving which cost him victory at the Formula E event.
The Envision driver was handed pole on Saturday thanks to Taylor Barnard having his fastest lap deleted for exceeding track limits at the last corner in the final duel.
But Buemi suffered a disastrous start at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, as he went straight into the Turn 1 escape road which dropped him to the back of the grid.
“The weekend started off very well with the fastest lap in the groups and then pole position,” said Buemi, who ultimately finished 17th in a race won by Citroen’s Nick Cassidy.
“Did not end up good with that mistake into Turn 1. I just had a slow pull away compared to Barnard and braked too late in the dust. I should have just given up the position and accepted P2 after Turn 1.”
Considering it happened early in the 38-lap contest and Formula E being known for its drama where positions constantly change, there was still hope that Buemi could secure a good result.
Sebastien Buemi, Envision Racing
Photo by: Hector Vivas / Getty Images
Good saving of energy and Attack Mode had the 37-year-old back up to seventh on lap 18, but then a puncture forced him into an unscheduled stop and ended his chances of points.
“Obviously, a bit unlucky with that, but it’s always tough to accept when you had such a good car – I had a great car,” added the 2015-16 series champion.
“It’s hard now to take the positive, but we’ll take the positive of the good qualifying and also the good pace in the race and hopefully have a strong weekend up next in Miami.”
The result was particularly tough to accept because points are often hard to come by for Envision: Buemi finished inside the top 10 in just half of the races last season.
“I don’t remember the last time we’ve been that competitive,” he said, with his last victory coming at the 2025 Monaco E-Prix.
“So again, it’s very hard to leave without points, but it gives good confidence for the rest of the season, even if it was just a weekend.”
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