Nico Müller Targeting ‘Another Step Forward’ in ‘Very Fluid’ Jakarta

Following a three-week break since the Monaco E-Prix, the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is back this weekend with the Jakarta E-Prix, an event which Nico Müller is expecting to “work up quite a sweat” at.

Müller is incredibly excited for this weekend’s double-header given that he’s never been to Indonesia before, with the nation having made its first appearance on the calendar last year. It’s a physically challenging event for all the drivers, with the air and track temperature likely to be as hot if not even hotter than they were in Hyderabad, with the added challenge of having to race twice.

Things have been looking up for Müller in recent races, with the Swiss driver having come close to scoring back-to-back points at the recent round in Monaco, until he was hit by Sam Bird on the penultimate lap. The collision saw Müller hit the wall and retire from the race, much to his and the team’s agony.

Despite this, he’s hopeful that “another step forward” can be made this weekend, especially with the Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit boasting multiple “overtaking opportunities”.

“I’ve never been to Indonesia before and I’m looking forward to getting to know a new country, a new culture and of course a new racetrack. The circuit in Jakarta looks very fluid, seems to have a good rhythm and also some overtaking opportunities. As far as the temperatures are concerned, we’re sure to work up quite a sweat.

“We’ll give everything to make another step forward on this double-header weekend.”

Robin Frijns Confident ABT CUPRA can ‘Fight for Points’

On the other side of the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team garage, Robin Frijns is also confident that the German outfit can “race for points” this weekend, as the team aim to break into the top ten in the Constructors’ Championship.

Frijns is yet to finish a race in the top ten this season, with his only points to-date coming thanks to his shock pole position ahead of the second race in Berlin recently. The Dutchman has shown steady progress since returning from his painful hand injury but has still been somewhat comfortably behind Müller; however, the Swiss driver has had significantly more time in the Gen3 car due to the amount of action Frijns missed.

Unlike Müller, Frijns has competed in Jakarta before, although he only managed seventeenth at the inaugural event last season. Despite this, Frijns is feeling good ahead of the tenth and eleventh rounds of the season and believes that the team are “going in the right direction”, something which he hopes will continue in Indonesia.

“Jakarta is an incredible place. Last year we had temperatures of over 40 degrees and enormous humidity. Maybe it’s a bit comparable to the race in India, also in terms of the challenges for the technology. Our team and our partners have worked on many details since the last race in Monaco. I hope and I also strongly believe that we can race for points in Jakarta. Even if our steps are small at the moment, they are going in the right direction.”