Envision Racing replacing both Buemi and Eriksson for 2027

Envision Racing has announced that neither Sebastien Buemi or Joel Eriksson will return to the Formula E team next season. The news came on the eve of the London E-Prix, the final two races of the current season and of the GEN3 era of car homologation, with confirmation of the pair’s replacements set to follow after the weekend.

After making a one-off for the team at the 2024 Berlin E-Prix, taking the place of then-race driver Robin Frijns who had World Endurance Championship commitments that weekend, Eriksson was promoted to a full-time race seat ahead of this season, and has so far taken a best finish of third in the second race of the Shanghai E-Prix. Buemi, meanwhile, has raced for Envision in the last four seasons, winning once in that time (the second race of last year's Monaco E-Prix) and taking a further six podiums so far. Buemi will be retained by Envision, albeit in an advisory role, for next season, in which the team will continue to run Jaguar powertrains.

“This has been a difficult decision, particularly given the contribution both Seb and Joel have made to our team,” said Sylvain Filippi, managing director and chief technical officer of Envision Racing. “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.”

With Buemi stepping away for a full-time seat in Formula E, and Lola Yamaha Abt’s Lucas di Grassi retiring from racing entirely, Sunday’s season finale is set to be the last Formula E race featuring any starters from the very first race in Shanghai back in 2014.

Buemi and di Grassi shared a close rivalry in the early years of the all-electric series, with both contending for the title in Season 1 – the crown ultimately going to Nelson Piquet Jr. – Buemi prevailing after the pair came together at the London finale in Season 3, then di Grassi eventually winning in Season 3.

Speaking to media ahead of the London E-Prix, di Grassi said he reached out to Buemi after Envision announced he was long his drive, and paid tribute to his long-time sparring partner.

“I actually sent him a message saying, ‘Just saw that you're going to stop driving, and I wanted to say that our competition, our rivalry, really pushed me to become a better person. So at that time, I hated you because it's normal,’” he said.

“It's true, you want to kill each other because you are competing. You want to win, of course. You have to have that spirit, if you don't have that spirit, you should not be a professional sportsman. You have to have the mentality that you're going to do whatever it takes to win. You have to have that mentality. You have to live and breathe that mentality every single time that you want to beat everybody, and he was the guy to beat.

“I had him in my mind many, many days of my life that I was in the treadmill and I put myself to run 10 kilometers, and at the end of the 10 the 10th kilometer, I would say, ‘No, no, no, I need to beat Buemi I'm going to run another two,’ and that push you outside of your comfort zone, and that push outside of your comfort zone makes you a better person, makes you go to areas that you never go in a normal day life. So I said to him, ‘Thank you very much for pushing me.’

“Of course, now I look back and I'm very thankful for that rivalry we had, that competition we had. I only achieved what I achieved because I had to pull myself out of my comfort zone.”