Sebastien Buemi, the Swiss driver who has been one of the emblematic names of Formula E, has announced his retirement from the electric championship after twelve seasons. This decision has been made with an eye on the new demands that the 2027 season will bring, in which combining Formula E with the World Endurance Championship (WEC) will become impossible.
Shortly before the final of the London E-Prix, Envision Racing confirmed that Buemi will stop being an active driver and will take on an advisory and development role within the team. Since the first season of the competition, Buemi has combined his commitments in Formula E with his participation in the WEC, where he has also excelled.
With the start of the Gen4 era of Formula E, and the planned expansions in the WEC calendar for next year, Buemi has decided to focus his energies exclusively on the endurance racing with Toyota. ‘With the expanded calendar, the workload becomes unsustainable. There are many more dates and tests to schedule, and the competition goals have to be high,’ Buemi commented.
Additionally, the driver explained that the decision was a joint one with the Envision Racing team, even though he felt he could continue in both categories. ‘Looking at the whole of my life, with a family and three children, I have to be pragmatic and do things properly,’ he added.
Buemi, who has been competing for Toyota in the WEC since 2013, has a contract that gives him priority over his commitments with Formula E. The driver also serves as a simulator driver for Red Bull in Formula 1, which requires numerous visits to the Milton Keynes factory.
The 2026-27 Formula E season only has one date that coincides with the WEC calendar, which improves the prospects for a combination of both competitions, although Buemi has emphasized that, in terms of workload, the situation will remain complicated. This decision marks the end of an era for Buemi in electric competition, a championship to which he has contributed so much since its inception.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_e3c201bbf5851e1d22c85e746a21f0730e56452e