Buemi bemoans Formula E’s attack zone placement
Nissan e.dams driver Sebastien Buemi has criticised the attack mode zone placement at last weekend’s Formula E season opener in Diriyah following his clash with Antonio Felix da Costa.
Buemi was running second in the second race in Saudi Arabia when a touch from DS Techeetah driver da Costa at the exit of the Turn 18 righthander – the race’s first corner, where the attack mode zone was located tight to its inside wall – spun him around.
Buemi, the 2015-16 FE champion, was able to get going but was deemed to have rejoined in an unsafe manner, forcing several cars to avoid him, and was later handed a penalty for his actions. Da Costa was also penalised.
“Obviously, you need to slow down more to make it into the attack mode, you cannot just carry the same speed,” Buemi said. “I braked as late as I could to try to create a little bit of a gap, and as I slowed down to go to the attack mode, he basically kicked the back of the car.
“We discussed it in the briefing that the attack mode was not in the right place, because the attack mode shouldn’t be in a place where you need to slow down more than the racing line. It’s pretty obvious that the guy behind you doesn’t know you’re going to take it.
“I just don’t understand why the FIA still puts the attack zone in such a place.”
Race director Scot Elkins also explained why that second contest restarted following a safety car with a tractor and marshals still on the track.
“Unfortunately, there was something blocking the tractor,” he said. “So, when the tractor backed up, he wasn’t able to go all the way back.
“And so we saw that, unfortunately, and we had to call another full course yellow to neutralise that issue, but we were able to get it back in and get it taken care of.”