Mueller pleased to earn his first podium for Porsche

Nico Mueller wasn’t too disheartened to miss out on the Miami E-Prix win despite starting from pole, as he got his first podium for Porsche’s factory team and first in Formula E altogether since the 2021 Valencia E-Prix.

Mueller employed a similar strategy to race winner Mitch Evans and used six minutes for his second Attack Mode, but with Evans starting deeper in the field, he was able to save more energy early on and use more later, whereby Müller was unable to respond.

“I had a really good day,” Mueller said. “There was just not quite enough to keep Mitch behind in the race. He really deserves that one, so congrats to him again."

Rain arrived in the hour before the race, turning what would have already been an intriguing contest on a new track into one that was even more of an unknown. But while many pre-race predictions suggested the race would be an energy-intensive one, it turned out to be more subdued and strategic. With that, Mueller thought pole might not have been the disadvantage it usually is in a so-called "peloton-style" race that would have likely happened in the dry.

“This is probably the one when you start on pole, you're actually happy when it rains because it was going to be such an energy-dominated race if it was dry,” he said. “Maybe, even though it sounds strange, there was less chaos expected in the wet. There was no real interruption, no full course yellow, no safety car. I only heard a crunch behind me once, so that was just what I hoped for.

“Coming to a new venue is always a bit of a dive into the unknown, plus the conditions we had today, so to come away with the haul of points that we managed together with Pascal today, I think is making it definitely a very good one.”

Mueller joined Porsche’s factory team after a season with customer outfit Andretti and has already proven to be one of the most consistent performers this season. He's one of just three drivers to score points in every race so far, along with teammate Pascal Wehrlein – who finished on the podium with him in Miami – and former teammate Jake Dennis.

“I would have loved to grab the win when you start from pole, but I'll take it,” Mueller said. “A double podium for Porsche, and kind of repaying their confidence in me, [I’m] really thankful for the hard work they put in.

“It's a privilege to represent this brand as a works driver in an official FIA World Championship, and I just want to enjoy this opportunity, make the most of it.

“I really enjoy the work together with the team, together with Pascal. I've also felt comfortable in the car – even though it's the same car to last year, I was surprised how different these cars can feel. So there is a process of adaption, I'm still in that phase of integrating into the team. The processes are very different to what I've had in the past. Working with new people, you kind of have to gel with those guys, to start speaking the same language, especially technically, because in Formula E, it's these small details that make the difference.

“We've managed to put most things right this weekend, but also in Mexico and in Sao Paulo, honestly, in terms of pure performance, I was pretty pleased with how things were going. We could have probably taken away more points in both of those previous rounds when it comes to pure performance, maybe a bit unlucky here and there, but that's part of Formula E.

“When you get the opportunities you want, we do need to maximize them. We’re close to maximizing but we're going to just keep trying even harder. The hunger is growing.”