How Buemi ended his six-year Formula E winless streak in Monaco

Sebastien Buemi managed a brilliant victory in the Monaco E-Prix to end a 78-race streak without a victory, reclaiming his legendary status as the driver with most wins in Formula E history.

There were many people in the Formula E paddock who thought they’d never see the day Buemi stood back on the top step of the podium, including the Envision driver himself. It had been a long time since the 2015-16 champion experienced the sweet taste of success, with his last win at the 2019 New York E-Prix.

Nearly six years have passed since then, and although Buemi established himself as one of the greats of the all-electric championship early on, things haven’t been quite the same for a little while. The Swiss driver won 12 of his first 29 Formula E races, but his visits to the podium have been sparse in recent seasons with this his fourth piece of silverware since the start of the 2023 season.

However, as the rain continued to fall in the Principality, Buemi’s experience and excellent strategy calls from Envision resulted in a memorable Monaco masterclass.

Going into qualifying, Buemi was one of four drivers who had failed to make it into the duels in 2024-25. His average starting position was 16th, and Envision was last in the teams’ championship. The odds were certainly not in his favour.

That didn’t stop Buemi getting through into the top eight and going up against his former team-mate at Nissan, Maximilian Günther. Despite both drivers failing to stay within track limits as the heavens opened, it was the DS Penske of Günther who progressed as he set a quicker time and would eventually line up third.

Starting eighth, the Envision driver made some early moves with the Cupra Kiro of Dan Ticktum who was alongside him on the fourth row of the grid. Buemi was then the first driver to take Attack Mode on the third lap of the race, with the additional 50 kW and four-wheel drive offering an extra level of grip on the wet track surface.

“We knew we wanted to take the Attack Mode early just because we wanted to make the most use of it,” Buemi stated after his third Formula E victory in Monaco. “When it’s wet, obviously four-wheel drive gives you more pace, so that’s what we tried to achieve.

“However, you never know if Attack Mode comes during a full-course yellow or a safety car, so I was a bit lucky to be able to take it without losing half of it during that.”

Everyone in the top 15 had taken their first Attack Mode by lap 10, apart from yesterday’s race winner, Nissan’s Oliver Rowland. Buemi battled with Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa and DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther for position, with the three swapping places for fourth with some close calls and wheel-banging on the approach to the Loews Hairpin.

Taking his final Attack Mode on lap 20, he dropped back to fifth but was on a mission. Pipping off da Costa, DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne and Rowland, Buemi was up to second and closing in on race leader Nyck de Vries (Mahindra) as they approached the start-finish straight for lap 22.

Buemi, with the benefit of Attack Mode, was able to launch past the Mahindra on the climb up Beau Rivage and take the lead with eight laps – and an added one – to go. From there he was able to pull a lead, extending the gap by over three seconds from de Vries in just one lap.

Sebastien Buemi, Envision Racing

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images

“In the end, I think the timing of the Attack Mode was good,” Buemi continued. “I was able to make a gap, and I was safe when Rowland took his second Attack.

“You need everything to align properly in these kinds of races. The Attack Mode, when you fight, when you overtake, and I guess today everything just aligned properly. I was lucky to take the Attack Mode at the right time and make a big gap at the end.

“I think that was the key, because every straight you spend behind a car that is not in Attack Mode you basically waste a lot of lap time.”

By the chequered flag, Buemi had created a 4.169s gap to Rowland, who finished second with Nick Cassidy collecting his first trophy of the season after securing third place. It was a wholesome podium for Buemi, sharing the top steps with two former Formula E team-mates.

“You’re a competitor. You go again and again, but, of course, at some point you doubt yourself,” Buemi reflected after his 14th career victory. “You think, I can’t do it.

Race winner Sebastien Buemi, Envision Racing, second place Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team, third place Nick Cassidy, Jaguar TCS Racing, Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director, CTO of Envision Racing

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

“I was team-mates with these two guys, and at some point they were a lot better than me. You’ve got to work hard. If you keep pushing, at some point, you try to learn from your mistakes and get better. I think that car never suited my style very much. But, I’m still trying to learn.”

Buemi has raced in Formula E since its inaugural season over a decade ago, but with a successful career in the World Endurance Championship and discussions on more clashes between the two series in the upcoming years, it could be that we’ve just witnessed his final victory in this paddock.

“I’m competing in a different championship as well, and at some point [if I continue in Formula E] will be down to the FIA and Formula E and what they want to do. If they want to clash with other championships, then at some point you have to make a decision.

“I think everyone’s selfish enough to make the right decision for themselves. I still strongly believe that when you have 11 weekends, and you have set your championship by more than four or five months, you should still manage to not have clashes. But who knows?

“I guess in a few months’ time we’ll know whether it’s realistic to continue to do both championships or if it’s not.”