Nico Mueller finished in fourth for Andretti in the Miami E-Prix, whilst Jake Dennis finished in ninth.
Andretti’s Mueller Outscores Dennis in Miami
Nico Mueller had an amazing weekend in Miami despite qualifying in 18th. This shows his talent for overtaking at this track, which was wider than most city circuits since it is a permanent venue.
Despite having been hit by Jean Eric-Vergne through a tight chicane, the Andretti car had no damage. This presents how resilient and strong the Gen 3 Evo is, considering light contact doesn’t require a driver to retire.
After a safety car was deployed with five laps to go, Mueller was reinvigorated to continue overtaking.
Mueller finished two seconds off the podium but fought a valiant effort for Andretti.
Meanwhile, Dennis fell down the grid to conserve energy but couldn’t regain the positions he had lost. The British driver also went into attack mode as the safety car was deployed, adding to his bad luck.
Subsequently, he lost the valuable speed necessary to overtake as attack mode gives the car an extra 50kW.
Dennis may have been discouraged driving his Andretti after Antonio Felix da Costa also passed him on the first lap. This suggests that the start of the race really hindered Dennis’ performance and expectations.
Both Andretti Drivers Finish in the Points
The Miami E-Prix was a great race for both Andretti drivers as they both finished in the points.
Despite finishing differently at the finish line, several drivers didn’t use all of their attack mode time. As a result, several penalties were handed out, promoting both Andretti drivers to their respective positions.
Andretti will be very happy with the points scored for the Teams’ championship, where they currently sit in seventh.
Dennis has outscored many teammates, so Mueller will hope to be closer and last at the team for longer.
No doubt, the team will be happy that the Swiss driver is contributing points to the team as they have struggled with their second driver.
This great performance was evident throughout the race weekend, performing well in most practice sessions.
For example, both Andrettis were top of the timesheets early on in FP1 – the first time they got to drive at this circuit.
However, FP2 came to a stop after Mueller suffered a lock-up going into Turn 12 on his first push lap. He made contact with the barriers and caused significant damage to his front wing and suspension.
Mueller was forced to watch the rest of the practice from the Andretti garage. Luckily, his car was fixed in time for qualifying, but this may have been a small knock on his confidence.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Kyle Larson Makes Food City 500 at Bristol His Playground
Dennis Improves Greatly in Qualifying
Dennis was close to getting pole as he reached the finals but was beaten by Norman Nato, his former teammate.
He was the first driver through to the semis after going up against the Maserati of Stoffel Vandoorne – beating him by half a second. This showed the promise Andretti had at their home race, as they looked to secure some silverware in Miami.
Afterwards, Dennis went up against da Costa for the first spot in the final, where he yet again put in the better lap.
There were very close margins between the two, both champions battling it out for positions.
In the final, Dennis pushed to the limit – getting on the grass at the start, but kept the car on track.
At turn eight, the Brit was deep, missing the apex and losing time to Nato – a key mistake.
Ultimately, Dennis was beaten by 0.129 seconds, but it was still a massive feat to reach the finals.
Considering the Andretti driver he qualified in 16th and 19th at the previous rounds in Jeddah, he clearly improved massively. Dennis will need to keep this consistently high qualifying in the next rounds to challenge for the drivers’ championship.
READ NEXT: Martí and Dunne Both Triumph in Thrilling F2 Weekend in Bahrain
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Recording Date: 12.04.2025
