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Sebastien Buemi. Photo by MacKrys.

Top 10 Little Known Facts about Sebastien Buemi

Sebastien Olivier Buemi is a Swiss professional racing driver. He was born on 31 December in Aigle, Switzerland. Buemi has had a long career and currently competes in the FIA Formula E World Championship.

Formula E is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. It was conceived in 2011, and the inaugural championship race was held in Beijing in 2014. From 2020, the series has had FIA world championship status.

Buemi competed for Scuderia Toro Rosso, an Italian Formula One racing team from 2009 to 2011. He then became a reserve driver for its sister team, Red Bull Racing from 2012 to 2013. He has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship since 2012.

In 2014, he became the World Endurance in the LMPI class. Buemi won the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2018-2019 WEC Championship. He also won 2019, 2020, and 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Needless to say, Buemi has had a successful career thus far, with significant wins. Below are the top 10 little-known facts about Sebastian Buemi.

1. Buemi began his career in karting

Karting by AJGP Fotografia from

Karting, also known as kart racing, is a road racing motorsport with go-karts. These are open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles. The sport is regarded as an important stepping stone for major racing careers.

Indeed, many Formula One champions such as Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso began their careers in karting.

After graduating from karting, he spent 2004 and 2005 in German Formula BMW, a junior racing formula for single-seater cars. He finished third and second in the championship respectively. He was runner-up in the 2005 BMW World Final.

2. He moved up to Formula Three Euroseries in 2006

Formula Three Euro Series is a European-based junior single-seater formula for Formula Three chassis. Formula Three is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. It is part of the ladder up which drivers progress to the Formula One world championship, the highest form of singer-seater racing.

Buemi competed in a race in Spanish Formula Three in 20015. He then moved up to the Formula Three Euroseries for 2006. He finished 12^th. In 2007, he finished second, behind Romain Grosjean.

3. Buemi was part of the A1 Team Switzerland

Sebastien Buemi. Photo by Gillfoto.

A1 Team Switzerland is the Swiss team of the international racing series; A1 Grand Prix. The uniqueness of the series is that competitors only represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team as it is in most formula racing series. It ran from 2005 until 2009.

Buemi was part of the Swiss team alongside Neel Jani and Marcel Fassler for the 2006-07 Grand Prix season. The team finished eighth.

4. He was third quickest at the 2007 F1 test session for Red Bull

Sebastien Buemi, 2010. Photo by Jitesh Jagadish.

Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom. It is owned by the beverage company Red Bull. On 18 September, Buemi participated in the F1 test session held in Jerez, a racing circuit in Spain. He drove the Red Bull Racing RB3, a Formula One racing car produced by Red Bull for the 2007 season.

Buemi was the third quickest, behind Timo Glock (BMW) and Vitantonio Liuzzi (Scuderia Toro Rosso. Red Bull confirmed him as their test and reserve driver on 16 January for the 2008 season.

5. He was the first Swiss driver to take part in an F1 race since Jean-Denis

On 9 January 2009, Buemi was signed as a race driver for the Italian Formula One racing team, Scuderia Toro Rosso. His first F1 race was the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, finishing the eighth position.

He was the first Swiss driver to take part in an F1 race since Jean-Denis drove for Pacific at the 1995 European Grand Prix.

6. He had an accident during a practice session in 2010

Buemi had been confirmed to race for a second season with Toro Rosso on November 2009. While racing in a practice session of the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix, a front suspension wishbone broke under braking as Buemi braked for Turn 14.

The two front wheels flew off, one wheel going over the safety fence into the spectator area. Buemi’s car slid into a barrier and knocked off the front wing. No one was injured during the incident.

Toro Rosso attributed the incident to the failure of a new front right upright. Buemi finished 16^th in the driver’s championship in 2010.

7. Buemi became World Endurance Driver’s Champion in 2014

Anthony Davidson, Buemi, Kazuki at the 2016 World Endurance Championship. Photo by Interceptro73.

He had signed a deal to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota Motorsport in 2012. It is a 24-hour automobile endurance race held annually at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France.

  He drove a Toyota TS030 Hybrid with Anthony Davidson and Hiroaki Ishiura (who later withdrew and was replaced by Stephane Sarrazin. The car was running in the third position in the early evening when Davidson collided with a GT Ferrari and crashed.

In 2013, Buemi drove with Toyota for a full season and ended in 3^rd place. In 2014, with 4 wins and 7 podiums from eight races, he became World Endurance Driver’s Champion with teammate Anthony Davidson.

8. He is currently the most successful driver in Formula E

2019-20 FIA Formula E. Photo by Eder Lozada.

Since 2014, he has raced FIA Formula E Championship with e. dams Renault (now Nissan e.dams). He won the championship in the 2015-16 season.  In 2016-17, he won the first three rounds of the championship, becoming the first Formula E driver to achieve the feat of three consecutive wins.

He has claimed more wins, poles, fastest laps, and points than any other driver in the series, making him the most successful in Formula E.

9. Buemi is related to racing driver Natacha Gachnang

Natacha Gachnang. Photo by Pierre Scheidegger.

Natacha is a Swiss race driver. She was the first female to drive in the new Formula One feeder series; FIA Formula Two Championship in 2009. She has also raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the first all-female crew to race at Le Mans since 1991, in 2010. Buemi’s grandfather, Georges Gachnang is also a race driver.

10. He mentored contestants in a 2013 primetime ITV4 reality series

Alongside Johnny Herbert, a British former racing driver, Buemi mentored 6 contestants in an ITV4 reality series. The aim was to take players of the Gran Turismo (GT) racing video games to the Dubai 24 Hour race as real drivers. The race is a sports car and touring car endurance competition held annually at the Dubai Autodrome.