NICO MÜLLER STORMS TO FIRST FORMULA E POLE AS DRUGOVICH SHINES IN MIAMI
Nico Müller claimed his first-ever Formula E pole position at the Miami E-Prix, delivering a standout performance after a consistently strong qualifying session. The Swiss driver finally etched his name into the record books after 85 qualifying appearances in the championship.
Group Stage
In Group A, Müller advanced to the Duels in fourth place, qualifying behind Nyck de Vries, Nick Cassidy, and Norman Nato. The low point of the group was the disappointing performance of reigning champion Oliver Rowland, who could manage only sixth in the group. As a result, Rowland will start the race from P11 later today.
Group B saw Taylor Barnard continue his impressive weekend form. After leading FP2, the young Brit topped the group with a 56.562 lap, ahead of António Félix da Costa, Marcus Ericsson, and Felipe Drugovich. Drugovich outqualified his teammate for the first time this season, a sign of what would become an excellent qualifying session for the Brazilian.
It was another difficult outing for Jean-Éric Vergne, who failed to reach the Duels. While his teammate progressed, Vergne finished ninth in the group and will start the race from P17.
Duels
The first quarter-final featured Nyck de Vries against championship leader Nick Cassidy. De Vries set a 55.873 lap to eliminate Cassidy from contention.
He would then face Nico Müller, who produced a superb 55.737 to knock out Group A leader Norman Nato. Nato made a mistake at the final corner, running wide and losing significant time, which allowed Müller to advance comfortably.
In the Group B quarter-finals, António Félix da Costa beat Marcus Ericsson with a 55.623 lap, two tenths quicker than the Swede. The closest duel of the entire qualifying session came between Felipe Drugovich and Taylor Barnard. Drugovich edged the DS Penske driver by just one thousandth of a second, booking his place in the semi-finals with a 55.700.
Semi-finals and Final
In the semi-finals, Nico Müller overcame strong resistance from Nyck de Vries, lapping a tenth quicker than the Mahindra driver to secure his place in the final.
On the other side of the bracket, Felipe Drugovich delivered a calm and controlled lap to defeat António Félix da Costa. The Brazilian maintained a one-tenth advantage throughout the lap, setting up a maiden pole position showdown.
What looked set to be a phenomenal day for Drugovich ultimately ended against an equally inspired Nico Müller. In the final duel, the Andretti driver posted a 55.745, while Müller responded with a stunning 55.455 to secure his first Formula E pole position.
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