Andretti has announced the signing of Nico Mueller, replacing Norman Nato in the team’s Formula E lineup alongside 2022-23 champion Jake Dennis.
The long-anticipated arrival of the Swiss driver comes four days after Nato’s departure from the team was confirmed after a single season driving for the team.
“I’m very excited to join the Andretti Formula E team,” said Mueller. “It’s a team that has seen success from the very beginning of the Championship, particularly in the GEN3 era in their partnership with Porsche Motorsport.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
“To work with Jake, a former World Champion, is an honor, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I’m going to give it my very best to contribute to the team’s success and hopefully aim for some podiums and my first Formula E win – that’s the target. I can’t wait to get going.”
Mueller’s move to Andretti comes after almost a season of speculation that he would join Porsche after a private test with the manufacturer in March. He was initially expected to replace Antonio Felix da Costa in the factory TAG Heuer Porsche team, only for the Portuguese driver to enjoy a dramatic upturn in form which led to him finishing the season with four wins, more than any other driver in the 2023-24 season.
He subsequently departed Abt Cupra after the conclusion of the tenth Formula E season, and departed Peugeot’s World Endurance Championship squad, too. Andretti, which is a Porsche customer team, said that Mueller’s signing was “as a new part of Porsche’s customer racing operations”, seemingly confirming his move to the German marque – although Andretti does retain sole control over who drives for it in Formula E.
“We are delighted to welcome Nico to the Andretti Formula E team for Season 11,” said Andretti Formula E team principal Roger Griffiths. “His familiarity with electric racing is proven, and he has shown he can deliver strong results across a wide variety of Formula E tracks. Nico is a race winner in many disciplines of motorsport, and we look forward to him lining up alongside Jake Dennis at the opening race in Brazil.”
Mueller has one podium finish in Formula E, coming with Dragon/Penske Autosport in the 2020-21 season. His resume also boasts stints in DTM – where he was an 11-time race winner and two-time championship runner-up – WEC, and World Rallycross.
“We have high expectations for Season 11, and we’re confident that adding a driver of Nico’s caliber will help us get results,” said Andretti Global chairman and CEO Michael Andretti. “His experience and success in Formula E, and numerous other highly respected racing series, will be key as we continue to increase the depth of our driver roster. We’re looking forward to seeing what Nico can do as we continue our pursuit of wins and World Championships.”
Mueller will take to the track with Andretti for the first time later this month as part of a Porsche manufacturer test, before heading to Valencia in November for Formula E pre-season testing.