Sébastian Buemi is looking to build on from his podium finish at the season-opening race in Mexico City, by having two strong races this week in Diriyah.
The Envision Racing driver knows the Diriyah E-Prix venue very well, with him having performed well there 12 months ago. Buemi claimed pole position last season in the opening race of the double-header, which saw him match Jean-Éric Vergne’s record-breaking 15 pole positions – he later broke the record in Berlin.
Unfortunately, the Season 2 Champion failed to convert pole position into victory in Season 9, with him having settled for fourth and sixth in the two races. It was still a strong points haul, something he’d love to replicate. He heads to the outskirts of the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, in fine form.
Buemi wasn’t expected to compete for the win in Mexico City, yet that’s exactly what he did. He proved to the world that he should never be discounted, as he converted second on the grid into a P2 in the race. Two good results in Diriyah and the Swiss driver could see himself labelled as a championship contender.
The 35-year-old recognises that his campaign has gotten underway brilliantly and that he was good in Diriyah last season. His hope now is on “building” on from the season-opener and string together consistent results.
“It was obviously great to begin the season with a front-row start and a P2 finish in Mexico City,” Buemi said. “But it’s just one race and now we are trying to work hard to prepare for this race as best we can.
“Last season we got a pole position there, my first one for the team, and we were quite fast overall – so the idea is to be building on that and hopefully I will be able to put a good week together. We know it is going to be tough but I am looking forward to it: it’s a great, challenging track and we are going to be racing at night like the last few years so I am really looking forward to it.”
