Formula E: Buemi finally on the podium 🎥
SECOND IN BERLIN At the tenth Formula E race in Berlin, Sébastien Buemi scored his first podium with Nissan. Only Lucas Di Grassi on Audi was faster. Now Buemi is hoping for a home victory in Bern. In several races, Sébastien Buemi was already on course for victory or at least a podium in 2019. On the 2375-meter airfield circuit [...]
👍 @nissanedams scored its second podium in a row and its third successive pole with @SebastienBuemi starring in Germany today.
–#NissanFormulaE #IntelligentMobility pic.twitter.com/XvUdqpVEYH- Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) May 25, 2019
Sébastien Buemi was already on course for victory or at least a podium in several races in 2019. On the 2375-meter Tempelhof airfield circuit in Berlin, it finally worked out.
Start from pole position
With the fastest time in the Super Pole qualifying session of the fastest six from qualifying, the 30-year-old from Vaud created an ideal starting position for himself and his Nissan. This was Buemi's second pole position after Chile in the spring.
The 2017 champion got off to a good start but was unable to pull away. On lap 3, Lucas Di Grassi moved past Stoffel Vandoorne into second place. Two laps later, the Swiss was also beaten by the Brazilian. As the race progressed, Buemi briefly dropped behind the BMW of Antonio Felix da Costa to third place, but regained second place on lap 22.
First podium with the Gen2 race car
When the race had to be briefly neutralized due to Alex Lynn's stalled Jaguar, Di Grassi's lead over Buemi shrank from almost 11 to 1.9 seconds. The Frenchman did not come within striking distance, but in second place he took his first podium in the fifth season of Formula E, the first with the Gen2 electric cars.
Sébastien Buemi: "It feels good. I can hardly believe that this is my first podium with Nissan after so many races. We deserved it. But today I wasn't as fast as Lucas. We seem to be strong in qualifying but not as efficient in the race. We have to keep working hard on that. Because in Bern I really want to look good."
Audi repeats last year's victory
As in 2018 (by Daniel Abt), Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler clinched the longed-for home victory with which Lucas Di Grassi moved up to second intermediate place in the championship. With third place, Monaco winner Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah) took over the top spot in the standings from his teammate André Lotterer, who retired early.
Desired goal: home victory in Bern
With the 21 points for pole position and second place, Sébastien Buemi moved up from 13th to tenth intermediate place. Edoardo Mortara, in eleventh place, remained without points for the fourth time in succession and is twelfth.
Theoretically, both Swiss could still become champions, but given the balance in the field and the points gap, this is illusory. More realistic is victory for one or the other at the home race on June 22 in Bern, the last round of the "voestalpine European Races". It would be the season highlight for each of the two.
