Sébastien Buemi could’ve made a surprising return to Formula 1 in 2019, but he chose a different path that’s worked out pretty well for him.
The former Toro Rosso driver turned down an offer to replace Brendon Hartley, opening the door for Alexander Albon instead. That decision changed the course of F1 history – Albon would later get promoted to Red Bull Racing.
“In 2018, we had talks with Christian Horner and Dr Marko,” Buemi explained. “But I had good deals in Formula E and Toyota’s WEC program. Going back to F1 just didn’t make sense for me at that point.”
He’s got no hard feelings about his F1 career. Sure, there were tough moments – especially when he missed out on driving for the main Red Bull team. But he’s grateful for the opportunities they gave him.
“Those decisions aren’t easy to understand when they happen,” he said. “But I stayed on as reserve driver and just had to look ahead.”
Turns out, that was probably the right call.
Buemi’s been crushing it in other racing series. He’s won Le Mans multiple times, grabbed a World Endurance Championship title, and became Formula E champion with Renault e.dams in 2015/16.
His F1 career started back in 2009 with Toro Rosso. Those three seasons weren’t exactly memorable – his best championship finish was 15th place in 2011, with just a handful of points to his name.
“I’ve been really lucky in WEC and Formula E,” Buemi admitted. “Sometimes it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. F1 just wasn’t that time for me.”
Looking back, walking away from F1 might’ve been the best decision he ever made. While others might see it as a missed opportunity, Buemi’s found success – and championships – elsewhere in the racing world.
