Sebastien Buemi didn’t fare very well in his three seasons in Formula One. But he’s certainly proven himself in the years since he’s left. And now his track record has earned him another shot at the big leagues.
After winning numerous races (but no titles) in feeder series like Formula 3 and GP2, Buemi earned his F1 race debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2009. But he was never promoted to the Red Bull Racing team like Vettel and Verstappen were, and after three lackluster seasons, he was dropped after 2011 – but continued serving as a Red Bull test driver.
In the years since, the Swiss driver has won the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota and the FIA Formula E Championship with Renault. Those achievements in and of themselves, in isolation from his prior grand prix experience, have been enough to get him back in the F1 cockpit.
According to Autosport, Buemi’s former employers at Red Bull are to put him in the cockpit of the 2015 RB11 as part of a tire test for Pirelli to take place at Mugello. It will mark the first time in more than two years that he’ll be behind the wheel of an F1 car (notwithstanding some demonstration events), and could prove an opportunity to show how much he’s improved since the last time he competed at the top level.
Ferrari is also taking part in the Pirelli test sessions, putting Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari-supported Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez in the cockpit of last year’s SF15-T at its own Fiorano circuit.