Mueller teases 'tricks up his sleeve' for Accelerate trip to Tempelhof

Mahindra Racing's Lucas Mueller – four times a podium finisher, and race winner at Hong Kong in last year's Race at Home Challenge – has, like others who competed in the 2020 series, found the jump in quality with Formula E: Accelerate to be significant.

Yet to finish in the points, the young German has had to adjust to the simulation's addition of ATTACK MODE and energy management to the fold - key components of any E-Prix.

The new features are proving vital so far in Formula E: Accelerate, with those best able to balance pace and usable energy as well as the strategy of ATTACK MODE deployments the sim racers that are currently showing the rest the way. An error in qualifying last time out, and damage, through little fault of his own in Rounds 1 and 2 has also conspired to temper Mueller's progress.

READ MORE: Biancolilla: 'The level is the highest I've seen'

"This is totally different to other esports series with the ATTACK MODE, regen and energy management," said Mueller. "You’re using your brain the whole time thinking ‘can I push now, or should I wait’. I’ve not had that feeling of really thinking and calculating before during races and it’s good fun. It’s been really enjoyable to learn and get used to – it’s completely new to us.

"Hong Kong didn’t go too well. I made a mistake in qualifying and unluckily I couldn’t start a charge from the back to the front because I got hit in the rear again as in New York which was a bit unfortunate.

"It’s frustrating because I know the pace is there but the luck wasn’t so the result wasn’t either. Things can only improve from here. My speed is good and there are bits to work on but I’m quite positive things will get better in the next few rounds."

Mueller has echoed the thoughts of his peers, describing the field as super close and impossible to predict. Formula E: Accelerate's grid is among the most competitive line-up in motorsport esports, with each sim racer competing in a six-race season for a slice of a minimum €100,000 prize pot and a real-world Gen2 test drive.

North Macedonian Erhan Jajovski (ROKiT Venturi Racing) has so far got the edge on the rest, with two lights-to-flag victories from the opening two rounds

"Erhan (Jajovski) has won two from two so he’s obviously the guy to beat," added the 28-year-old. "He has the most points heading to Berlin but alongside him, Kevin Siggy and Frederik Rasmussen are the fastest guys. It’s so close, though and really tight – with half a second between first and P20. Normally there’s three tenths between the top ten and that’s nothing.

"It’s great for the fans but as drivers you’re always going to want a bigger spread. So, how can you tell who’ll win it in the end? I’m hoping I can still play a role in that but we’ll see."

READ MORE: Head here for the full Formula E: Accelerate line-up

Berlin's next on the calendar, with the trip to the Tempelhof Airport Circuit on Thursday, broadcast live from Formula E HQ on Twitch, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook from 1900 UTC.

"For my ‘home race’ I’m hoping to improve," he said. "I can’t say too much as I’ve got some secrets that I don’t want to share. I made some stupid mistakes in Hong Kong, and figured out a few things out but didn’t have too much time to get used to them but I’ve had another week to work on those.

"There’s a lot of things I can do and I’ve been working eight or nine hours a day with three or four hours of sim racing on top of that. I’m really enjoying it, and I’m putting all of this work in to get the best possible result.

"Tempelhof will be a really nice race, it’s a great track for racing as we saw last year. I’m really looking forward to seeing how myself and Olli (Pahkala) get on for Mahindra Racing."