Formula E: Frustration instead of a happy ending for Buemi
FORMULA E The worst-case scenario came true. Following his absence in New York, Sébastien Buemi failed to score any further points at the FIA Formula E finale in Canada. The defending champion, who was superior for a long time, had to relinquish the championship lead on the final race weekend. Flashback: While his opponents raced twice in New York on July 15 and 16 and [...]
Flashback: While his opponents drove and scored points twice in New York on July 15 and 16, Sébastien Buemi had to compete for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Nürburgring. The result is well known. Due to a defect right on the opening lap, his Toyota TS050 Hybrid only finished in 4th place in the Eifel.
Up until the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the bad luck started, Buemi was ahead in the WEC championship standings. In the meantime, he is still in second place and has to hope that something unplanned also happens to the leading Porsche team in one of the next five races and that he himself finds his way back to victory lane with Toyota's help. Otherwise, this train has also sailed.
The beginning of the bitter end
As a result, he was left with a 10-point lead in the Formula E championship, down from 32 points before the finale in Montreal last weekend. After Lucas di Grassi had taken a start-finish victory from pole position in Saturday's race to claim the maximum of 28 points, the Swiss driver, who was disqualified for underweighting his Renault Z.E.16, was trailing in the standings for the first time.
An 18-point deficit out of a possible 28 points was a handicap that could not be made up under normal circumstances. When Buemi made another small mistake in qualifying and found himself in only 13th place on the grid for Sunday's race in Montreal, successfully defending the title in the decisive final race turned into a mission impossible.
A hit from behind in the first corner sealed Buemi's fate. He had to make a short stop for inspection at the behest of the race organizers and then rushed after the field to finish 11th out of 20 competitors.
Lucas di Grassi in the Abt Schaeffler Audi virtually coasted to seventh place, with which the Brazilian secured the title with a 24-point lead. At least the points scored by Sébastien Buemi and Nicolas Prost in the races before were enough for Renault e.dams to win the prestigious team championship.
Anyone who wins six of the first eight races and then still fails to become champion can only end up as frustrated and disappointed as Buemi was after this completely abortive weekend in Canada. "With the speed we've had this year, it's hard to accept now," were his first words.
Nevertheless, the dethroned champion found the greatness to congratulate his victorious archrival. "Lucas did a super job with his team, a bit better than us. With two disqualifications over the whole year and two races less, the title fight just became difficult in the end."
The fourth multi-year season 2017/18 starts on December 2 in Hong Kong. That means it's later than ever before and no longer in the middle of the final phase of all the other global championships.
And by then, Sébastien Buemi's deep frustration should have long since turned back into aggressiveness and full motivation...
