Sebastien Buemi's First Race Approaches

Okay, time to ramp things up. The 2009 Formula 1 Season starts in 6 days time and Sebastien Buemi will be in the thick of it. So as the season’s start draws close, what has Sebastien been up to?

Sebastien Buemi’s Been A Busy Boy

According to the Scuderia Toro Rosso website, Buemi’s Been A Busy Boy doing a promotional event called Red Bull Crashed Ice in Lausanne, Switzerland, followed by a trip back to the STR base in Faenza:

I was there for a seat fitting, as at the moment, we only had one seat made to measure for me and we can’t head off to the other side of the world without a spare.

Then he took a trip to Bicester in the UK to learn the Albert Park Lake circuit in a simulator:

I’m here to learn the Melbourne circuit which is one of the ones on the calendar that I have never raced at before, so it should be an interesting session.

So, Sebastien Buemi has been a busy boy indeed – and now, he’s off to Melbourne!

It Will Be Special, Strange, It Will Be Everything

Sebastien Buemi has managed time to give an interview to Formula1.com, discussing his hopes for the coming season. Amongst the topics covered are:

• Recent testing of the STR4.
• The difference between the STR3 and STR4.
• The late arrival of the STR4.
• Sebastien's expectations for Melbourne.

On the last point, Sebastien says:

I don’t have any expectations. I want to finish the race. That’s my focus. Saying that scoring points wouldn’t be fantastic would be a lie, but it is not my main objective. I want to understand a lot about the car. And in the past Melbourne has always been a race with many accidents and casualties, so to finish the race is already a good point.

So Sebastien just wants to finish the race - a very sensible goal. It's going to be an unpredictable grand prix, where anything could happen, but Sebastien just wants to keep his head down and make sure he gets to the finish line. With that sort of attitude he may be able to ride his luck if things work out in his favour, but if he went in expecting more, he'd be more likely to miss any chances that come his way.

Sebastien's Spoof Diary

I recently stumbled across what appeared to be Sebastien Buemi's diary recording his experience at the F1 season opening race at Melbourne. However, as I read it, it quickly became apparent that it was only a spoof, with paragraphs such as:

No, I was wrong, they are on the same flight, but once again I don't see them on the plane. They all disappear through a curtain. I feel sorry for them, as I am lucky enough to sit near the back of the plane with the rest of my team. I get a middle seat, which is neat, as I can talk to two people either side of me. And it's handy for the toilets too.

I won't mention the site I found it on, as it presented the diary as real and missed the end of it! I later found the complete diary at F1-live.com along with an explanation that the spoof diary was released courtesy of Toro Rosso's imaginative press department (although I can't find the original if it's available on line).

On To The Race

Well, enough with the preliminaries already! Bring on the race! I can't wait for the Melbourne Grand Prix on Sunday - and I really hope that Sebastien Buemi gives a good performance in his first race!