Sébastien Buemi is the latest young talent to reach Formula 1 via Red Bull’s Young Driver Programme. When the 20 year old lines up for the opening Grand Prix of the 2009 season in Melbourne he will become the first Swiss driver to compete in a Formula 1 race since Jean-Denis Délétraz in 1995.
Buemi’s Early Motor Racing Career
After a successful spell in karting Buemi graduated to single-seaters and found success in the German Formula BMW championship. After finishing the 2004 season third overall he came second the following year. During 2005 Buemi also made a one-off appearance in Formula 3, competing in a round of the Spanish series.
In 2006 Buemi moved up to Formula 3 full-time. At the end of the year he was 12th overall in the Formula 3 Euroseries. 2007 brought a major improvement as he stayed in the class and finished the season as runner-up. Between Formula 3 commitments Buemi also helped the Swiss team to eighth place in the A1 Grand Prix series.
Buemi showed his ability during 2007 when he was called upon by the ART Grand Prix team to fill the seat vacated by their injured driver, Michael Ammermüller. Buemi stood in at the Monaco Grand Prix support race and demonstrated great composure around the tricky street circuit by qualifying fourth and finishing seventh.
Arden International recruited Buemi to drive for the team in the 2008 GP2 Asia championship and he finished the series in runner-up spot, with four second places and a single victory. He stayed with the team for the main GP2 championship in 2008, scoring his debut win in the French sprint race. Buemi recorded another victory, in Hungary, on his way to sixth overall in the standings.
Formula 1 with Red Bull and Toro Rosso
Buemi was signed to the Red Bull Young Driver Programme in 2005. In 2008 he was named as the team’s official test ad reserve driver in Formula 1. Although he didn’t get the chance to race in a Grand Prix, he did make an appearance in Japan driving the medical car. In January, 2009, Buemi was confirmed as a race driver for Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso. It was with the same team that Sebastian Vettel started his Grand Prix career. The young German driver went on to score a sensational victory in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix and has since moved up to the Red Bull team, partnering Mark Webber. Red Bull will be hoping that Buemi’s rise to the top is just as meteoric.
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