Jakarta E-Prix podium reinstated for Buemi after penalty overturn

Sebastien Buemi has reclaimed his Formula E podium finish from the Jakarta E-Prix last time out after the Envision Racing driver’s penalty was reversed by the FIA.

It means Nico Muller has been denied a maiden podium for Andretti and his first since Valencia in April 2021. 

The decision was confirmed on Friday by motorsport’s governing body the FIA, who stated that upon further consideration, it had reversed the 5s penalty Buemi was given after contact with Edoardo Mortara’s Mahindra car at Turn 13 in Indonesia. 

At the time, 21 June, stewards believed that Buemi “attempted a late overtaking manoeuvre, made contact with Mortara who was forced off the racing line and lost the position to Buemi”.  

It resulted in Buemi dropping from third on track to eighth, but in the following days Envision lodged an appeal within the 96-hour deadline of the International Sporting Code.

Envision provided additional information that wasn’t available at the time, including footage from Buemi’s roll hoop, photographs of his “side by side” proving that he had made the overtake prior to the apex, and extra telemetry and data showing that the Swissman was “under control at all time during T13”. 

A hearing was also held with representatives from both teams, plus Mortara and Buemi, and the additional evidence caused stewards to decide that no party was largely at fault for the incident.

It means Buemi now has a second podium of the 2024/25 season, following his victory in Monaco, meaning the 2015/16 series champion moves up to 10th in the championship.

Earlier in the week, a protest against a penalty for Nissan’s Oliver Rowland was rejected by the FIA, as the team tried to appeal a similar 5s penalty for the championship leader.  

The decision was given due to Rowland making a “late overtaking manoeuvre approaching Turn 13, and by doing so Rowland hit the front right tyre of Maximilian Gunther forcing him into the wall at exit of T13”. Following the incident, Gunther also had to retire his DS Penske.  

Despite the petition and extra evidence, the FIA decided that most of the information was not new and therefore Nissan’s plea was rejected.