On the road to London: Sébastien Buemi
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It has come down to two: Sébastien Buemi vs Lucas di Grassi for the second FIA Formula E Drivers’ Championship. After missing out on last season’s championship by one point, Buemi this time trails by one point heading into the final two races in London.
Buemi has often been the quickest driver this season, helped by a strong Renault powertrain, but a mix of technical issues and driving errors means he has not always been able to turn that pace into results. A spin ended his title charge in London last season – can he vanquish those demons this time around?
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Buemi was able to both qualify ahead of team-mate Prost, and out-race the Frenchman on his way to victory in Beijing. The Swiss driver therefore not only laid down an early marker in the championship, but also in the inter-team battle. He survived two Full Course Yellow periods, and the pit stop phase, on his way to an untroubled victory – so much so that he was rarely seen on the TV coverage of the race. Perhaps the only complaint Buemi can have about his weekend.
After a dominant win in Beijing, Buemi was prevented from repeating this in Malaysia due to two software issues on his car. The first of these took place on lap 15, while Buemi was leading comfortably ahead of Loic Duval, forcing him to stop on track and then take an early pit stop at the end of the same lap. While putting in a strong recovery drive in the second stint, he was hampered by having to save his battery. On the penultimate lap, the car suffered the same issue and again ground to a halt. Buemi was able to get going again but finished outside the top ten, in P12.
Buemi and Renault e.Dams returned to winning ways in Uruguay, the Swiss putting a disappointing qualifying session behind him – he topped the group stage but was 5th and last in the Super Pole – battling his way up the field to take victory. A key to his race was a great start that saw him leapfrog title rival Lucas di Grassi. The Renault powertrain suited the Punta del Este circuit, and Buemi took full advantage with an impressive win, helped by some spectacular overtaking moves.
Disaster struck in qualifying in Argentina, as a spin put Buemi’s Renault e.Dams car in the wall and forced him to start last. However, he put in a typically quick drive, rising all the way to P2 by the end. He used lots of battery doing so, though, and was unable to mount a sustained challenge on race leader Sam Bird, eventually settling for a place on the podium.
Mexico City was to be a controversial race in many respects. Buemi qualified 5th, disappointing after topping both practice sessions, but made a strong start to pass Daniel Abt for P4. During the car swaps, this became third ahead of team-mate Prost, and Buemi could concentrate on trying to pass d’Ambrosio ahead. However this battle would turn nasty, as Buemi damaged his front wing trying to pass the Belgian, following that up by cutting a chicane to get past. He had to give the place back, crossing the line in P3. However a disqualification for di Grassi not only promoted Buemi to second place, it also helped him regain the lead of the championship.
Long Beach was a disaster for Buemi, with the Swiss surprisingly qualifying outside the top 5, in P7. He made up some positions early on and was the quickest car on track, but made a big error when he hit the back of Robin Frijns’ Andretti car. He had to make an unscheduled pit stop, and received a drive-through penalty for the incident, and thus finished the race outside the points. He did score two points for fastest lap, but lost the championship lead to di Grassi nonetheless.
Paris was the home race for Buemi’s Renault e.Dams squad, and he was determined to bounce back in the French capital. He could only qualify P8, struggling to generate tyre temperature on a cold Saturday in Paris. However he managed to climb up to third place by the end of the race, keeping his title hopes open despite di Grassi winning for the second race in a row.
After qualifying disappointments in the preceding events, Buemi was back on form in Berlin, with a lap good enough for P2 on the grid. After a dice with polesitter Jean-Eric Vergne in the opening laps, the Swiss driver got ahead for good on lap six. From there he was relatively untroubled, despite a late safety car that closed the field up, and he came through to take victory and narrow di Grassi’s championship lead to a solitary point.
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As with last season, there can be no doubt that Buemi is one of – if not the – quickest drivers in the field. But as proven in London last year, and again in some races this year, he is prone to making errors under pressure.
And pressure doesn’t get much higher than a title decider on the twisty, bumpy confines of Battersea Park. Can he exorcise the ghosts of twelve months ago and take the title? Only time will tell.
Laurence Thorn | e-racing.net
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Images courtesy of Rajan Jangda
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