Envision Racing wins appeal: Buemi’s Jakarta E-Prix penalty overturned after two weeks

Written by Jessica Alfieri

Credit: the-race.com

After appealing and winning, the Envision Racing team managed to have the five-second penalty received by Sébastien Buemi during the Jakarta e-Prix cancelled. The Swiss driver had suffered the consequences of a collision with Edoardo Mortara that saw him lose third place and finishing the race in eighth position.

Not only did Envision and Buemi protest after the race, but the British team managed to provide additional evidence within the next 96 hours following the stewards decision as required by the regulations. This included footage from the onboard camera of Buemi's car, which gave a better visual on the contact.

During a review earlier in the week the stewards recognised the validity of the new footage, called into question Decision 12 - i.e. the penalty - and revoked the penalty.

The hearing was held this afternoon and was attended by the Envision Racing team, FIA stewards, and the driver advisor Alex Yoong.

At the same time, the stewards held another hearing with Sébastien Buemi of Envision Racing and Edoardo Mortara of Mahindra Racing. During the meeting, not only were the videos provided by the penalised team reviewed, but also the opinions of the drivers involved were heard.

In particular, Buemi pointed out that the new video showed that his manoeuvre was regular and legitimate, that he was in control of his single-seater and that at the moment of contact he was in a position that complied with the regulations.

For his part, Mortara completely agreed and added that he hardly perceived the contact.

In conclusion, the collision resulted in a racing incident and no one was found responsible.

Both the Drivers' and the Teams' standings changed: Sébastien Buemi climbed up from 12th to 10th place and Nico Müller, ousted from the third step of the podium, dropped to 14th place; Envision Racing took Cupra Kiro's ninth place.

Although it is positive that the FIA listens to the drivers and teams and is open to discuss its own decisions, the fact that it took two weeks to overturn a penalty raises some concerns about the efficiency and credibility of the governing body.

In such a fast-paced sport, decisions can change the course of championships and delays of this kind undermine trust and create uncertainty. Transparency is important, but so is timeliness. If the FIA wants to maintain the confidence of teams, drivers, and fans alike, it must ensure that its processes are not only fair, but also swift and consistent.