F1 News
Former Red Bull driver rejected F1 return: 'Didn't make sense'
Sébastien Buemi reveals that he could have returned to Formula 1 in 2019 to Toro Rosso. However, instead of coming in as Brendon Hartley's replacement, he decided to continue on his path towards WEC and Formula E. He turned down the opportunity and settled for a role as a reserve driver. This allowed Alexander Albon to switch to the junior team before being promoted to Red Bull Racing shortly after.
"In 2018, we had talks with Christian Horner and Dr Marko," Buemi told e-Formel.de. "But that didn't really make sense for me because I had good contracts in Formula E and at Toyota [WEC]. I got the chance to drive for Toro Rosso again, but it was better for me to stay on my path than to return to Formula 1."
"I think Red Bull and Dr Marko have done a lot for me," he admitted. "For that, I am very grateful to them." He adds that he holds no grudge against his former colleagues. "Of course, I didn't really understand the decision at the time - I would have liked to have driven the Red Bull car. But that was not my decision, and I had to deal with it."
Buemi later admitted that it wasn't easy for him to step away. "Those decisions are not easy to understand, but I stayed at Red Bull at the time as a reserve driver. You just have to accept that and immediately start thinking about your future again."
Finally, Buemi acknowledged that he had a little bit of luck when it came to racing. "I was very lucky in WEC and Formula E. I won both championships, but you also need a bit of luck to be in the right team at the right time. And in Formula 1, it was not the right time."
Buemi's career
Buemi made his Formula 1 debut in 2009 with the Toro Rosso team. He had a difficult first season, where he only scored six points, finishing 16th in the standings. Although he was able to score more points in the next two seasons, he still could hardly improve on his previous P16 in the standings, matching that same result in 2010 and climbing one position in 2011, to P15. After that, he was demoted to reserve driver.
In the following years, the Swiss shifted his focus to Formula E and WEC, where he has been much more successful. Now a multiple Le Mans winner and WEC champion, he also won the Formula E title driving for Renault e.dams in 2015/2016.
This article is written in collaboration with Savannah Lenz.
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