Sébastien Buemi and Joel Eriksson to leave Envision Racing at the end of Season 12

Credit: Simon Galloway/LAT Images

In a major development, Envision Racing have announced the departure of their current driver line-up at the end of Season 12. Both Sébastien Buemi and Joel Eriksson will be departing the team in green after the London E-Prix, as revealed by the team ahead of the race weekend. 

The announcement comes even as the driver market is set to ramp up for Season 13, with Envision revealed as a major race between four drivers for two race seats. The debate has been settled, though, with both the incumbents at the team stepping away, and an all-new driver line-up for the upcoming season. 

For Buemi, it caps off a successful campaign in the all-electric racing series, with the Swiss driver joining fellow veteran Lucas di Grassi in bowing out of the championship at the end of Season 12. 

After over 12 years in Formula E, the Season 2 champion has announced that he will be leaving the all-electric series at the conclusion of Season 12. He first started racing in Formula E in the maiden season in 2014, going on to claim 14 wins and a further 22 podiums.

In Season 12 so far, Buemi has claimed one podium with a second-place finish in Jeddah. Additionally, he started on pole once in Season 12 and sits tenth in the standings, following the Tokyo E-Prix.

Throughout his career, Buemi has raced for Renault e.dams, with whom he won the Championship, before staying on as the team transformed into Nissan e.dams, and later switching to Envision Racing.

Outside of Formula E, the 37-year-old served as Red Bull Racing’s Test Driver from 2008 until 2015 as well as competing in Formula One for three seasons from 2009 until 2011 with Toro Rosso. During his F1 stint, Buemi scored 29 championship points. He was also Red Bull’s Reserve Driver between 2016 and 2022 and is the team’s Development Driver, a position he has held since 2023.

Buemi has also had immense success in Endurance Racing. He has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2012 and has won the event four times as well as taking ten overall podiums. In addition to his Le Mans victories, Buemi is a four-time World Endurance Championship champion.

“This has been a difficult decision, particularly given the contribution both Seb (Buemi) and Joel (Eriksson) have made to our team,” commented Envision Racing’s team principal Sylvain Filippi on the announcement. 

Credit: Simon Galloway/LAT Images

"As we look ahead to GEN4 and an increasingly demanding Formula E calendar, we are entering an important period of development for the team. Seb's experience will remain valuable to us, and we are pleased that he will continue to support Envision Racing in an advisory and development capacity.

"We are grateful to both drivers for everything they have given to Envision Racing and look forward to ending the GEN3 era on a high in London."

Buemi has served as an integral figure since his return to Envision Racing, and his Advisory and Development role on the team’s pit wall will only bolster the team’s Gen4 campaign, given the Swiss driver has already tested the Gen4 car in private tests earlier this season. 

Eriksson, on the other hand, has competed in several races across seasons, however, Season 12 marked his first full season as a Formula E driver. 

Having stood in for Dragon Penske in 2021, before fulfilling his role as a super sub in 2024 in Berlin, the Swedish driver has built on his first campaign, scoring 55 points up to the London weekend. 

The highlight of his campaign was the podium in Shanghai, his first in the championship, apart from a fourth in Miami earlier in the season and two top-seven finishes during the Monaco E-Prix weekend.

Whilst it is unknown what the Swiss driver will do next, his impressive career means that he will likely have many options. His replacement is yet to be announced. As for Eriksson, it remains to be seen if he can find a spot on the grid for next season, or have to take another year on the sidelines as a reserve.