Nico Müller
Nico Sebastian Müller[1] (born 25 February 1992) is a Swiss professional racing driver. He is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot Sport and in Formula E for ABT Cupra.
Nico Müller | |
---|---|
Nationality | Swiss |
Born | Thun, Switzerland | 25 February 1992
DTM career | |
Debut season | 2014 |
Car number | 51 |
Former teams | Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline, Team Rosberg |
Starts | 152 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 11 |
Podiums | 34 |
Poles | 6 |
Fastest laps | 15 |
Best finish | 2nd in 2019, 2020 |
Finished last season | 7th |
Previous series | |
2012-2013 2010–2011 2009 2008–09 2008 2008 | World Series by Renault GP3 Series Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Swiss Formula Renault 2.0 Italian Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault 2.0 WEC |
Championship titles | |
2009 | Swiss Formula Renault 2.0 |
Formula E career | |
Debut season | 2019–20 |
Current team | ABT CUPRA Formula E Team |
Car number | 51 |
Former teams | Dragon / Penske Autosport |
Starts | 30 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 1 |
Poles | 0 |
Fastest laps | 1 |
Best finish | 19th in 2022–23 |
Finished last season | 19th (15 pts) |
Career
Karting
Müller began his karting career in 2004 and the following year, Müller finished sixth in the Bridgestone Cup Switzerland ICA Junior class. He improved to third place in the same competition in 2006 and also finished as runner-up in the Swiss Junior Championship. In 2007, he won the Bridgestone Cup Switzerland KF3 class, winning the title by a single point, and took fifth place in the Swiss KF3 championship.
Formula Renault 2.0
In 2008, Müller stepped up to single-seaters, racing in his native Formula Renault series for Jenzer Motorsport. In his first year in the category, he finished fifth, taking a victory at Spa-Francorchamps along with two other podium places. He also took part in selected races of both the Italian Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup series. In November of that year, he contested the Italian Formula Renault 2.0 Winter Series, which was held over two races at the Imola circuit. Müller took two podium places to finish third in the standings, behind Kazim Vasiliauskas and champion Daniel Mancinelli.[2]
Müller remained in the Swiss Formula Renault 2.0 series in 2009 and wrapped up the title in dominant fashion, finishing on the podium in all twelve races, taking nine victories and nine pole positions.[3]
He also contested a full season of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 championship with Jenzer Motorsport. He originally finished third in his début race in Barcelona, but was later promoted to second following the disqualification of race winner Albert Costa.[4] During the season he took a further four points-scoring positions to finish eleventh in the championship, the third highest placed rookie driver.[5]
GP3 Series
In 2010, Müller graduated to the new GP3 Series, continuing his long relationship with Jenzer Motorsport.[6] He took his first victory in the category at the third round of the season in Valencia, winning the sprint race after starting from the front row of the grid.[7] Another podium followed at the next round at Silverstone before he took his second win of the year with victory from pole position in the feature race at the Hungaroring.[8]
A haul of nine points in the final round at Monza ensured that Müller finished the season third overall behind Robert Wickens and eventual champion Esteban Gutiérrez.[9] Müller remained in the championship with Jenzer Motorsport for a second season in 2011.[10]
World Rallycross
Müller competed in the 2017 World RX of France and the 2017 World RX of Latvia for the EKS RX team. He finished the events 17th and 6th respectively.
Sports car racing
In October 2017, it was announced that Müller would replace relief driver James Rossiter in the No. 26 G-Drive Racing Oreca 07, partnering regular drivers Roman Rusinov and Pierre Thiriet for the 6 Hours of Shanghai in November.[11] He finished seventh after colliding with three cars during the course of the race.[12] That month, Müller was entered into the 2017 FIA GT World Cup, driving an Audi R8 LMS with Audi Sport Team WRT,[13] and was caught up in a first lap multi-car accident in the qualifying race.[14] His car was repaired in time for the main race,[14] but crashed out after hitting a car that spun ahead of him.[15]
Other series
At the end of October 2009, Müller tested a Formula Renault 3.5 Series car for the first time, driving for Prema Powerteam at Motorland Aragón in Spain as a prize for winning the Swiss Formula Renault title.[16] A week later, he took part in the first International Formula Master test session of the winter at the Hungaroring, finishing as the fastest driver on day one before taking second place the following day.[17][18]
Formula E
Dragon / Penske Autosport (2019–2021)
Having acted as a development driver for the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team for two seasons, Müller made his Formula E debut in the 2019–20 season, driving for GEOX Dragon alongside Brendon Hartley.[19] His package proved to be largely uncompetitive, leading to the Swiss driver ending up 25th in the standings, lowest of all full-time competitors.
In 2021, Müller remained with the rebranded Dragon / Penske Autosport for another campaign in Formula E.[20] He scored a number of points finishes, including a surprise podium during the Valencia ePrix, a race in which a myriad of drivers ran out of useable energy with mere minutes remaining.[21] Müller eventually exited the series, being replaced by Joel Eriksson for the second half of the season.[22]
2022–23 season
Müller returned to Formula E in 2023, joining the newly re-entered ABT CUPRA outfit for the start of the Gen3 era.[23] The season began in disappointing fashion, with the team playing catch-up to its rivals due to their one-year hiatus from the series, which was compounded by the Swiss driver crashing during Race 2 in Diriyah.[24][25] A first glimmer of hope materialised in Hyderabad, where a chaotic race with a plethora of retirements elevated Müller to eleventh at the finish, with him having set the fastest lap of the race.[26] Three rounds later in Berlin, ABT profited from a wet qualifying session on Sunday to start on the front row, with Müller narrowly missing out on pole to teammate Robin Frijns.[27] Hours later however, it would be Müller who scored the team's maiden top ten finish of the campaign, ending up ninth in a dry race.[28] In Monaco, points were once again on the table until, with two laps remaining, Sam Bird crashed into the Swiss driver at Sainte Devote, costing Müller a ninth place in the process.[29][30]
After two point-less events in Indonesia and the United States, Müller proceeded to have his most fruitful weekend of the season at the Rome ePrix: a large crash which eliminated a chunk of the field at the halfway mark of Saturday's race elevated Müller to the top ten, where he was able to consolidate in sixth position, taking home ABT's best result of the season.[31][32] A day later, Müller finished tenth, getting the final points-paying position after a penalty for António Félix da Costa ahead. He ended the season in fine style, qualifying eighth for the final race at London and maintaining said place, thus jumping to 19th in the drivers' championship.[33]
2023–24 season
Müller was retained by ABT CUPRA for the 2023–24 season, partnering a new teammate, former Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi.[34]
Racing record
Career summary
† As Müller was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
* Season still in progress.
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Jenzer Motorsport | CAT 1 2 |
CAT 2 22† |
SPA 1 17 |
SPA 2 10 |
HUN 1 7 |
HUN 2 9 |
SIL 1 15 |
SIL 2 11 |
LMS 1 17 |
LMS 2 Ret |
NÜR 1 5 |
NÜR 2 11 |
ALC 1 24 |
ALC 2 12 |
11th | 25 |
Complete GP3 Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Jenzer Motorsport | CAT FEA 13 |
CAT SPR 9 |
IST FEA 6 |
IST SPR 4 |
VAL FEA 7 |
VAL SPR 1 |
SIL FEA 3 |
SIL SPR 4 |
HOC FEA Ret |
HOC SPR 17 |
HUN FEA 1 |
HUN SPR 6 |
SPA FEA 4 |
SPA SPR 6 |
MNZ FEA 4 |
MNZ SPR 3 |
3rd | 53 |
2011 | Jenzer Motorsport | IST FEA 11 |
IST SPR 15 |
CAT FEA 5 |
CAT SPR Ret |
VAL FEA Ret |
VAL SPR 14 |
SIL FEA 1 |
SIL SPR 11 |
NÜR FEA 15 |
NÜR SPR 7 |
HUN FEA 4 |
HUN SPR 5 |
SPA FEA 7 |
SPA SPR 3 |
MNZ FEA 4 |
MNZ SPR 3 |
4th | 36 |
Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | International Draco Racing | ALC 1 Ret |
ALC 2 Ret |
MON 1 5 |
SPA 1 5 |
SPA 2 4 |
NÜR 1 2 |
NÜR 2 Ret |
MSC 1 8 |
MSC 2 Ret |
SIL 1 Ret |
SIL 2 7 |
HUN 1 6 |
HUN 2 Ret |
LEC 1 8 |
LEC 2 7 |
CAT 1 12 |
CAT 2 15 |
9th | 78 |
2013 | International Draco Racing | MNZ 1 13 |
MNZ 2 5 |
ALC 1 Ret |
ALC 2 5 |
MON 1 1 |
SPA 1 Ret |
SPA 2 5 |
MSC 1 7 |
MSC 2 4 |
RBR 1 13 |
RBR 2 8 |
HUN 1 1 |
HUN 2 5 |
LEC 1 10 |
LEC 2 2 |
CAT 1 12 |
CAT 2 4 |
5th | 143 |
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos. | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | MIS QR |
MIS CR |
BRH QR |
BRH CR |
NÜR QR 5 |
NÜR CR 34 |
HUN QR |
HUN CR |
CAT QR Ret |
CAT CR 14 |
27th | 2 |
Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results
(key)
Supercar
Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | WRX | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | EKS RX | Audi S1 | BAR | POR | HOC | BEL | GBR | NOR | SWE | CAN | FRA 17 |
LAT 6 |
GER | RSA | 17th | 13 |
2018 | EKS Audi Sport | Audi S1 | BAR | POR | BEL | GBR | NOR | SWE | CAN | FRA | LAT 9 |
USA | GER | RSA | 19th | 10 |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | G-Drive Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SIL | SPA | LMS | NÜR | MEX | COA | FUJ | SHA 7 |
BHR | 27th | 6 |
2022 | Vector Sport | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SEB NC |
SPA 10 |
LMS 13 |
MNZ 3 |
FUJ | 17th | 16 | ||||
Peugeot TotalEnergies | Hypercar | Peugeot 9X8 | Peugeot 2.6 L Turbo V6 | BHR 4 |
9th | 18 | |||||||||
2023 | Peugeot TotalEnergies | Hypercar | Peugeot 9X8 | Peugeot 2.6 L Turbo V6 | SEB NC |
ALG 5 |
SPA 9 |
LMS 9 |
MNZ 11 |
FUJ | BHR |
13th* | 16* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Vector Sport | Sébastien Bourdais Ryan Cullen |
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 357 | 27th | 22nd |
2023 | Peugeot TotalEnergies | Loïc Duval Gustavo Menezes |
Peugeot 9X8 | Hypercar | 312 | 27th | 12th |
Complete Formula E results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Chassis | Powertrain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | GEOX Dragon | Spark SRT05e | Penske EV-4 | DIR DNS |
DIR Ret |
SCL 12 |
MEX Ret |
MRK 20 |
BER NC |
BER 14 |
BER 12 |
BER 20 |
BER 17 |
BER 22 |
25th | 0 | |||||
2020–21 | Dragon / Penske Autosport | Spark SRT05e | Penske EV-4 | DIR 21 |
DIR 5 |
RME 13 |
RME 9 |
VLC 2 |
VLC 20 |
20th | 30 | ||||||||||
Penske EV-5 | MCO 18 |
PUE | PUE | NYC | NYC | LDN | LDN | BER | BER | ||||||||||||
2022–23 | ABT CUPRA Formula E Team | Formula E Gen3 | Mahindra M9Electro | MEX 14 |
DRH Ret |
DRH Ret |
HYD 11 |
CAP WD |
SAP Ret |
BER 15 |
BER 9 |
MCO Ret |
JAK 11 |
JAK 12 |
POR Ret |
RME 6 |
RME 10 |
LDN Ret |
LDN 8 |
19th | 15 |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | High Class Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 V8 | DAY 9† |
SEB | LGA | MDO | WGL | ELK | PET | NC† | 0† |
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. * Season still in progress.
References
- "Pilote des 24 heures du Mans : Nico Sebastian Müller". www.24h-en-piste.com (in French). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- "Formula Renault 2.0 Italia Winter Cup 2008". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- "LO Formula Renault 2.0 Suisse 2009". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- "Albert Costa disqualified, Nathanaël Berthon is winner". renault-sport.com. Renault Sport. 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- "Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup 2009". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- "Jenzer Motorsport confirm GP3 drivers". gp3series.com. GP3 Series. 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- "Nico Müller dominates to take first GP3 win". gp3series.com. GP3 Series. 2010-06-27. Archived from the original on 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- "Nico Müller flies to victory in Budapest". gp3series.com. GP3 Series. 2010-07-31. Archived from the original on 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- "GP3 Series 2010". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- Glendenning, Mark (2010-10-07). "Muller stays in GP3 with Jenzer". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
- Müller, Oliver (20 October 2017). "Shanghai: Nico Müller freut sich auf LMP2-Raumschiff". Speedweek (in German). Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- "WEC – Porsche and Ferrari Claim World Titles in Shanghai". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- Watkins, Gary (20 October 2017). "Lucas di Grassi gets Audi Macau return with GT3 debut". Autosport. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- "FIA GT World Cup – Biggest repair effort in history of GT racing". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- Goodwin, Graham (19 November 2017). "Mortara Takes Sixth Macau Race Win". DailySportsCar. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- "The future won't wait!". renault-sport.com. Renault Sport. 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- "Nico Muller tops day one at IFM Hungarian test". automobilsport.com. MaP. 2009-11-06. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- "Sweden's Philip Forsman set the fastest time in today's Hungarian test". automobilsport.com. MaP. 2009-11-07. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- Smith, Sam. "Nico Mueller Completes GEOX Dragon Lineup". e-racing365.com. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- "DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT - The Drivers". fiaformulae.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- "De Vries wins amid farcical Valencia Formula E finish". The Race. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- Beer, Matt (May 28, 2021). "ERIKSSON CALLED UP FOR FORMULA E RACE DEBUT AT PUEBLA". The Race. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- "Welcome Home! Robin Frijns and Nico Müller to compete for Abt in Formula E". www.abt-sportsline.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- "Wehrlein clean-sweep, McLaren gets first Formula E podium". The Race. 2023-01-28. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- "JACK NICHOLLS: What to expect from talented van der Linde". The Official Home of Formula E. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- speed-magazin.de. "Formel E: ABT CUPRA verpasst die ersten Formel-E-Punkte nur knapp". SpeedMagazin (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- "Berlin E-Prix: Abt takes shock front-row lockout as Frijns grabs pole". www.autosport.com. 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- Golding, Nick (2023-04-25). "Nico Müller: Berlin a "bit of a rollercoaster ride of emotions"". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- "ABT Formula E driver Nico Müller criticizes Sam Bird after Monaco accident: "His frustration must run deep" - e-formula.news". e-formula.news. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- Golding, Nick (2023-05-09). "Nico Müller Refuses to Let Late Retirement 'Get Us Down'". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- "Formula E | Nico Muller on P6: "Very close to the best possible result"". Pit Debrief. 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- "Three from three in Rome for Emperor Evans". The Official Home of Formula E. 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- "Cassidy conquers tough conditions as Envision seals Teams' title". The Official Home of Formula E. 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- "ABT CUPRA Signs Lucas Di Grassi Alongside Nico Mueller". The Official Home of Formula E. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Nico Müller on Twitter
- Nico Müller career summary at DriverDB.com