Just Electric

Racing at home more than a dream for Buemi

Sebastien Buemi is excited for the first home race of his career next year.

No Swiss driver has competed in front of home crowds since motorsport was banned in the country in 1955.

But an amendment to allow electric racing in Switzerland paved the way for the Zurich ePrix, which will be held in June.

“I think [the race] is very important,” Buemi told redbull.com.

“First of all because Switzerland is a big market for electric cars and, as a Swiss driver, it wasn’t even a dream in the past because I knew it wasn’t possible because we had regulations against racing since the Le Mans accident in 1955.

“So I couldn’t even dream of it and now it’s happening and it’s an amazing feeling.

“It may sound normal to a French driver or an Italian driver because they’ve been having their home races since forever, but for me it’s something very big and I’m looking forward to the race in Zurich.”

Buemi claimed the 2016-17 title after a fierce battle with Audi’s Lucas Di Grassi. He looked set to become FE’s first double champion last year, but narrowly missed out on the title, handing the crown to Di Grassi.

The rivalry between the two drivers has been building since the series’ inaugural season, and Buemi believes it’s an important factor in defining Formula E.

“It’s very important to have those kind of things because you need the fans to engage and to engage they need to have their best driver and they need to feel close to the driver,” he said.

“That’s why Formula E is really open with social media giving fans access to anyone.

“So rivalry is part of the game and it’s important and, even if we don’t understand each other well, like with Di Grassi, I think it’s good because it will engage the people to follow the sport.”

Buemi is currently 15th in the championship after a difficult opening round of the season.  

Bethonie Waring

Privacy Policy

Click here to read our Privacy Policy.

%d bloggers like this: