Muller Set for Peugeot Hypercar Debut in Bahrain
Nico Muller will get behind the wheel of the all-new Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar at the BAPCO 8 Hours of Bahrain next month.....
A familiar WEC face will have a new challenge ahead of him at next month’s BAPCO 8 Hours of Bahrain as he gets set to make his Hypercar debut for the Peugeot TotalEnergies squad.
Nico Muller will drive the #94 Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar alongside Loic Duval and Gustavo Menezes after the recent confirmation that James Rossiter is set to take up a management position in Formula E.
Rossiter filled the seat left by Kevin Magnussen when returned to Formula 1 with Haas earlier this year and competed in both the Monza and Fuji 6 Hour races.
Muller was confirmed in the Bahrain line-up after testing at Monza recently. This came just a few weeks after he was confirmed as a full squad member of the Peugeot TotalEnergies team for 2023.
The Swiss ace has been racing in the WEC earlier this year making three appearances for the new Vector Sport LMP2 team at Sebring, Spa and Le Mans.
“I’m so looking forward to making my debut in the Peugeot 9X8 in Bahrain,” said Muller.
“My first drive in the car at the team’s Monza test [after Fuji] went very well. I quickly felt confident and was able to perform some long runs and try different tire options.
“I tend to adapt easily. I had a similar experience at Shanghai earlier in my career, in 2007, when I got just 10 laps in an LMP2 prototype before taking part in the race.
“Bahrain will be a chance to familiarise myself further with the 9X8, as will the simulator at the team’s headquarters in Satory. Simulators are such a precise and invaluable tool.”
Olivier Jansonnie, technical director of the LMH programme at Peugeot Total Energies, added: “Nico impressed during his day in the car at our Monza test.
“He was calm, focussed and provided valuable technical feedback regarding the Peugeot 9X8 that backed up the views of his new team-mates.
“He fitted in with the team easily, and it’s now all systems go for his debut in Bahrain.”
Van der Zande Returns to Vector
Muller’s place in the Vector Sport ORECA-Gibson 07 alongside Sebastien Bourdais and Ryan Cullen will again be taken by Renger van der Zander.
Vector has confirmed that the Dutch ace, who is also Bourdais’s team-mate in the Ganassi Cadillac IMSA team, will re-join the line-up in Bahrain after filling in for the then DTM-bound Muller at Fuji Speedway last month.
Team principal of Vector Sport, Gary Holland, said that he was “extremely pleased to have Renger with us for our final race of the season as he made a very positive impact on the team in Fuji.
“He’s fast, smart and his approach and attitude fitted in so well with our own.
“His previous knowledge of Bahrain International Circuit will be invaluable to us on our debut there, and we can’t wait to get there and show what we can all do.”
Muller was part of the crew with Bourdais and Cullen that scored a season’s best third place in the ferociously competitive LMP2 class at Monza in July.