Mueller relishing WEC call-up with Penske Porsche at Spa

Andretti Formula E driver Nico Mueller is back in the FIA World Endurance Championship paddock and “soaking in” his return to the Hypercar category this week at Spa-Francorchamps.

The former Peugeot factory driver is driving Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 963 with Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer, and will make his first WEC start since Bahrain last year tomorrow.

Mueller is filling the seat usually occupied by Mathieu Jaminet, as part of a double call-up along with reigning Formula E champion Pascal Wehrlein on a weekend when the PPM operation is spread across the clashing WEC and IMSA events at Spa and Laguna Seca. But it’s more than just a one-off for Mueller and Wehrlein, as both drivers are using the track time to prepare themselves for their trip to the Le Mans 24 Hours with the team next month. Wehrlein will share the team’s third 963 with IMSA full-timers Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr, while Müller will serve as the nominated reserve.

“I am excited, happy and grateful. That’s what I am feeling coming into this weekend,” Mueller said. “It’s a phenomenal track, a phenomenal venue to be back in WEC and doing my first race with Porsche Penske, so I’m just excited to enjoy the moment.

“We are here to deliver a good job. That’s what we are here for in the end. We want to do a good race and get the team and the guys ready for Le Mans. Personally, I am going to be soaking it in.”

Each of Mueller’s previous Hypercar starts came aboard an LMH-spec 9X8 as part of the French OEM’s factory team. Despite the key differences between that car and the LMDh-spec 963, Mueller says the feeling behind the wheel – and the differences between the two teams – are not “night and day.”

“There are some specification differences that you feel when you drive the car, but I quickly felt comfortable,” he said. “For sure, there are still a lot of things to learn, such as the systems being used to put the car in its optimal configuration. I also have very limited mileage. But so far, so good. I am very happy with the base.

“There are organizational differences with Peugeot — there are always differences between teams. Obviously, both are full works programs. There are always minor differences here and there, but to be honest, it’s quite comparable.

“It’s not like there are totally different processes where I have to think, ‘Oh, I need to get used to that.’ It’s quite a smooth transition in that respect.”

This weekend is Mueller’s first race start with Porsche Penske Motorsport, but not his first in a 963. Prior to the visit to Belgium, he made a one-off appearance at the Sebring 12 Hours with privateer team JDC-Miller, finishing eighth in GTP.

“It was on a very short call,” he reflected. “I had never driven the car before, and Sebring is not the most straightforward track to go and learn a new car. I had never run an IMSA race aside from the Daytona 24 hours in an LMP2 car. There were a lot of new things to get on top of, but overall, it worked really well.

“We had a good run until we encountered problems with one of the brake discs. It was a good introduction to the world of the 963. I can’t wait to get an extra race in that car under my belt.

“They are real racers. I love the American way of racing as well. It was a very enjoyable weekend.”

Beyond his trip to La Sarthe as the reserve for the PPM team, could we see Mueller compete in both Formula E and WEC simultaneously again in the near future?

“It is not up to me whether I have a double program or not next season,” he explained. “I am contracted to Porsche. They decide what programs they have for their drivers. I’ve had the privilege in the past to have a double program with Formula E and WEC. For now, I am glad I am back in WEC with Formula E as my main program. It will remain the case for the rest of the season. We’ll see… that’s not what I am thinking about at the moment.”

As such, this weekend is all about the short term, helping Porsche Penske Motorsport prepare for the biggest race on the sports car racing calendar, where the team will look to score Porsche its 20th overall win in the race and Roger Penske his first.

“I’ll try to do the best possible job here, enjoy it as much as I can while I help the team prepare for Le Mans, when I will be supporting them from the sidelines,” he said. “If it comes to the case that they need me in the race, it’s already far from optimal. You take every bit of mileage you can get under your belt to prepare for that race. It’s a challenge of its own already. It makes a pretty big difference if you have a race under your belt and not just testing.

“But, should it come to that point, then I am definitely much better prepared. It’s a good call from the team for me, but also for Pascal, even more so as he will definitely race.”