Buemi “in the wrong place at the wrong time”
It was a difficult day for the defending champion in Mexico City, however, Buemi was able to leave Mexico with a consolation point for fastest lap.
Despite having to take an overnight flight from Monza and missing the shakedown, normal service seemed to resume when practice came around as the Swiss driver topped both practice session.
Up next was qualifying and luck of the draw was the difference maker as the defending champion found himself in group one, heading out onto a dirty track. Even though group one was the slowest overall, the Swiss driver lined up seventh on the grid whilst main title rival Lucas di Grassi found himself lining up fifteenth.
Moving up to fifth in the first stint of the race, a slow pit stop dropped Buemi down to tenth, but he had the bonus of FanBoost to work his way back through the pack in his second car.
Deploying FanBoost when trying to get passed the Mahindra of Felix Rosenqvist, Buemi spun at Turn 1, effectively mirroring what Jose Maria Lopez did in his DS Virgin moments prior.
“The race could have been good for us,” said Buemi. “We all know it’s difficult to overtake here, especially with so many safety cars. When I tried to use the FanBoost, Rosenqvist locked up both of his front tyres and Lopez spun. I just tried to avoid the accident and by doing this, I also spun. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“That’s more or less what happened today. It’s been a bad weekend for us. The objective was not to lose too many points here, so of course, it’s a big disappointment. I was quickest in FP1 and FP2, and we showed good pace, but I was at a big disadvantage to be in Q1 as I cleaned the track for everyone.”