Sébastien Buemi mastered the tricky wet conditions to claim his third career Monaco victory in Sunday’s Formula E E-Prix, with pole-sitter Oliver Rowland finishing second and Nick Cassidy completing the podium after an impressive charge from 14th on the grid.
The Swiss driver’s tactical brilliance shone through as he navigated from eighth position to secure victory on the iconic street circuit, executing a flawless Attack Mode strategy that proved decisive in the changing conditions of the seventh round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
“You need everything to align properly in this kind of races,” Buemi explained post-race. “The Attack Mode, you know, when you do what, when you fight, when you overtake, and I guess today everything just aligned properly. I was lucky to take the Attack Mode at the right time.”
The Envision Racing driver made quick work of his rivals, using his Attack Mode to drop off Oliver Rowland (Nissan) after the Port chicane, then Nyck de Vries (Mahindra) in the Ostend climb, before building a comfortable gap to secure the win. As the track began to dry in the closing stages, Buemi’s experience proved invaluable.
“At the end, it was drying up quite a lot. You could see a bit, so you had to be kind of clever on where to put the car because, clearly, you could start to see the line drying up, and there was quite a lot of lap time if you were able to have the confidence to attack in those corners,” he added.
Rowland consolidates strong Monaco Weekend
For Rowland, who started from pole position after topping qualifying, second place represented a strong result following his victory in Saturday’s race. The British driver was involved in a notable incident with Jean-Éric Vergne during the race but maintained his podium position.
“For me, it’s kind of a racing incident, but I also get both sides. It’s one of those which is hard to call,” Rowland said of the moment with Vergne. “It’s kind of like trying to consolidate a good double-header. You come here and don’t know if your car’s going to be competitive or not. I got 25 points yesterday, and if I can add another 10 to that, it’s a super weekend.”
Cassidy’s remarkable recovery from 14th
The drive of the day arguably belonged to Nick Cassidy, who climbed 11 positions to secure the final podium spot – a result that marked a welcome turnaround after a challenging start to his season.
“It’s already feeling like a big weight off the back, a monkey off the back kind of thing,” the New Zealander shared after the race. “I’ve gone through a tough dry spell, and it’s been really tough events. We just keep working hard.”
Cassidy was quick to acknowledge the performance of his fellow competitors, particularly race winner Buemi. “When I look at his quality and race, it’s impressive. Hands up,” he admitted.
With the championship now heading to Tokyo for the next round in just over 10 days, Buemi’s victory in Formula E’s most prestigious venue could prove to be a pivotal moment in this season’s championship battle.
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Main photo: Oliver Rowland, Sebastien Buemi, Nick Cassidy, source: ACM