Sebastien Buemi is targeting victory at this weekend’s Santiago E-Prix, 12 months on from his Season 5 disaster in the Chilean capital.
At the 2019 running of the E-Prix – the second in Santiago but the first at the Parque O’Higgins Circuit – Buemi recorded Nissan e.dams’ maiden pole position for the third race of the season.
Making a strong start from the front row, the Swiss pilot maintained the lead over the race to lie in a prime position for victory before a trip into the barriers halted his progress with only 15-minutes of racing remaining.
One year on from the event and after a disappointing weekend in Diriyah – in which he failed to record any points due to a water pressure issue and a spin in Race 2 – Buemi is aiming to set the record strait in Santiago: “The race weekend in Chile was an important step for our program last year, when we scored our first series pole position,” said the Season 2 champion.
“Twelve months later, we want to go beyond that performance and target our first win for season six.
“We demonstrated some strong pace at the opening round, and I’m confident our updated powertrain will ensure we remain very competitive.”
For team-mate Oliver Rowland, who was one of four drivers to secure back-to-back points in Diriyah, qualifying pace will be a point of focus for the third race of the season: “Coming into my second season, I’m already familiar with many of the tracks, so that’s a big step forward for me,” said the Briton.
“Our simulator is a huge help, but having real race laps under your belt certainly is an advantage.
“I was thrilled with my race pace in Riyadh, and now my target is to improve in qualifying. That will really give me a chance to challenge at the front of the pack.”
