Buemi impresses as Formula E testing continues

Former Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi continued to shine in the all new FIA Formula E Championship as he posted the fastest time on the third day of testing at Donington Park.

The Swiss racer clocked the quickest ever lap in the new electric Formula E car at Donington with his effort six hundredths quicker than Lucas Di Grassi’s leading time set last week.

Buemi, driving for the French e.dams squad, completed 28 laps throughout the session with his best time a tenth quicker than China Racing’s Jerome d’Ambrosio.

“Today (Wednesday) has been good and very productive but it’s not about trying to set the fastest time, it’s about getting a better understanding of the car and the different mapping settings,” said Buemi.

“The car has been reliable all day and the team have done a good job.

“It’s great to be in a car that you can rely on and know you can push when you need to.

“We still have a few issues to work on but overall it was a productive session.”

Di Grassi was third fastest for Audi Sport ABT just three tenths adrift of Buemi.

The majority of the teams spent the day working on battery management and race simulations with outright pace not the immediate concern.

Sportscar ace Stephane Sarrazin clocked up the most milage as he used Nick Heidfeld’s Venturi car to rack up 65 laps. The Frenchman was half a second off the pace in fourth.

Virgin Racing’s Jamie Alguersuari was fifth just ahead of Nicolas Prost in sixth while Bruno Senna ended the day seventh for Mahindra Racing. Sam Bird, Daniel Abt and Jarno Trulli rounded out the top 10.

Testing at Donington Park continues on Thursday as the teams prepare for the inaugural round of the FIA Formula E Championship at Beijing on September 13.

FIA Formula E  Donington Park Test Day 3 Results