Sebastien Buemi will retire from Method E on the finish of this weekend’s London E-Prix to tackle an advisory position with Envision Racing, it has been introduced.
The Swiss driver will deliver the curtain down on a glittering stint within the all-electric championship after 12 seasons throughout which he scored 14 wins, 36 podiums, 17 pole positions and the 2015-16 drivers’ title.
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Hypothesis has been rife about Buemi’s future in Method E for a number of months, with the sequence’ unique 2026-27 calendar that includes two clashes with the World Endurance Championship.
Whereas Method E has since rescheduled the 2027 Monaco spherical, leaving only one conflict between the 2 sequence. Buemi will nonetheless retire from FE to concentrate on his Hypercar commitments with Toyota.
He’ll proceed to stay concerned with Envision, nonetheless, as he takes on an advisory and improvement position forward of the beginning of Method E’s Gen4 period.
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The information about his departure was made official on Thursday, simply 12 hours after the Chinese language crew revealed that Joel Eriksson may even be stepping down from his seat on the finish of the present season. This implies the crew will discipline an all-new driver line-up subsequent season.
“This has been a tough choice, notably given the contribution each Seb and Joel have made to our crew,” stated crew principal Sylvain Filippi.
“As we sit up for Gen4 and an more and more demanding Method E calendar, we’re coming into an necessary interval of improvement for the crew. Seb’s expertise will stay priceless to us, and we’re happy that he’ll proceed to help Envision Racing in an advisory and improvement capability.
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“We’re grateful to each drivers for the whole lot they’ve given to Envision Racing and sit up for ending the Gen3 period on a excessive in London.”
Sebastien Buemi, Envision Racing
Sebastien Buemi, Envision Racing
Buemi was one of many championship’s largest stars throughout his early years, changing into synonymous with the Renault e.dams operation that turned Nissan’s manufacturing unit squad later.
Profitable the championship in solely the second season of the then-nascent all-electric championship, Buemi was additionally a major title contender. However a conflict along with his WEC commitments pressured him to overlook the New York double header, and it in the end made the distinction between successful the championship and ending second.
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He remained a frontrunner with Renault/Nissan over the next seasons, however made a daring choice to go away a manufacturing unit crew to affix Jaguar buyer Envision in 2023.
Though failing to duplicate his earlier highs, Buemi continued to attain podiums on an occasional foundation and returned to successful methods final yr, successful the Monaco E-Prix. The 2025/26 season marks Buemi’s fourth and final at Envision.
Buemi will not be the one Method E stalwart to hold up his helmet in Method E. 2016-17 champion Lucas di Grassi, who has additionally been racing within the sequence since inception, introduced his impending departure in April.
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