Sebastien Buemi says this month’s London E-Prix may not end up being his final race in Formula E, leaving the door open to a comeback in the future.
Earlier this month, Envision announced that 2015-16 champion Buemi will step down from his seat at the end of the season, bringing his 12-year stint in the all-electric championship to a conclusion.
Although he had previously been able to combine his programmes in Formula E and the World Endurance Championship, an increasingly packed summer schedule meant Envision felt he would be unable to allocate sufficient time to the team next year, particularly with the arrival of new Gen4 cars.
But while fellow Formula E veteran Lucas di Grassi is also departing Formula E for good after hanging up his helmet, Buemi says he could still return if the calendars align.
“That's why I don't want to close any doors. You don't know how the calendars and how the championship evolves,” said Buemi, whose current WEC contract with Toyota takes precedence over any FE commitments.
“I'm not the youngest anymore. But I guess it's a bit different to Lucas. He fully retires. It's something different. I guess if I was doing the same, I would be very emotional. But for me, this weekend, I absolutely feel nothing.”
Buemi was one of the biggest stars of Formula E’s Gen1 era, leading the successful Renault e.dams operation that later morphed into Nissan’s factory team.
After spending a total of eight seasons with the France-based squad, he joined Jaguar customer Envision in the winter of 2022, and has remained there ever since. While failing to replicate his Gen1 highs, he has remained a formidable competitor and returned to winning ways in last year’s Monaco double header.
Formula E’s chief championship officer Alberto Longo said he would welcome Buemi back in the series should he decide to return in the future.
“He's been here from day one as well. He's gone from Renault to Nissan to now Envision,” Longo told Motorsport.com.
“He's a fantastic driver, a very talented driver, and an amazing person. He loves his family, his kids. He's definitely a very good friend. We're going to miss him.
“Obviously, he wanted to continue his career in WEC, which we fully respect. Our arms are wide open for him if he wants to be back at any point.”
New Envision role
While Buemi won’t be on the 2026-27 grid, he will continue to work behind the scenes with Envision, taking on an advisory and development role with the Chinese squad.
As part of the rule, he is expected to complete certain tests in Envision’s customer Jaguar Gen4 car, while also attending some races.
“It shows the intent that the team has with me, and they want me to be part of it,” he said of his new role.
“Ultimately, we're still trying to figure out exactly what I will do, but we've announced the title sponsorship with Paysafe, so that will require a lot more work.
“We'll do a lot of activations on few racetracks, so I will attend a few races when I can when it doesn't make my life too stressful with work, and obviously my job at Red Bull [as a sim driver].
“Then I will do some simulator for Envision and potentially test the car a few times. So we're still trying to exactly put the calendar together, because the idea really is to make it easier for me, and still somehow bring the best possible to the team."
