Nico Müller’s WEC successor has been chosen

Nico Müller’s successor at Peugeot’s WEC factory team has been decided. The 20-year-old Dane Malthe Jakobsen will be promoted from reserve driver to regular driver in 2025.

Peugeot Junior driver Malthe Jakobsen at the WEC rookie test in Bahrain 2023
Malthe Jakobsen will start for Peugeot in the WEC in 2025, Photo: Peugeot Sport

A few hours after the separation of Peugeot and Nico Müller at the end of the 2024 WEC season was confirmed, the Swiss’ successor at the French car manufacturer’s factory team has been confirmed. Malthe Jakobsen, currently Peugeot’s reserve driver, will become a regular driver in the WEC in 2025 and will therefore also compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 9X8.

The 20-year-old Dane has been competing in endurance races for several years. In 2022, he won the title in the LMP3 class of the European Le Mans Series and this year the championship in the LMP2 category of the Asian Le Mans Series. Jakobsen already tested the Peugeot hypercar in 2022 and 2023 at the WEC rookie test in Bahrain. In 2023, Jakobsen also became Peugeot’s official junior driver before being promoted to reserve driver of the WEC team this year.

“He is a very talented young driver who I have followed since the beginning of his career,” Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson was quoted as saying in a press release. “We know his potential and that is why we brought him on board as a junior driver.” Peugeot’s WEC technical director Olivier Jansonnie agreed: “Malthe has shown that he not only has the talent, but also the attitude and work ethic to succeed at the top level in motorsport.”

Despite his young age, Jakobsen has already competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice. In 2023 and 2024, he competed in the endurance classic with Cool Racing in the LMP2 class and finished the races with his teammates in P12. Jakobsen can also look back on two starts in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Peugeot Junior driver Malhe Jakobsen
Since 2024, Jakobsen has been reserve driver for Peugeot’s WEC team, Photo: Peugeot Sport

However, the youngster has so far waited in vain for a race in a hypercar. When the Formula E commitments of the Peugeot regular drivers meant that the 6-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps in May 2024 When two places became available for Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, Peugeot decided not to throw Jakobsen in at the deep end.

Instead, only two drivers started in the two 9X8 hypercars with the starting numbers #93 and #94 – according to Peugeot, for reasons of stability and preparation for the season highlight in Le Mans. Now Jakobsen will have the chance in the top category of the WEC in 2025.

In sporting terms, he will probably come across difficult terrain. Peugeot has only managed to finish on the podium once in the WEC in two years. The performance of the hypercar, which was completely redesigned this year and now features a rear wing, has also left a lot to be desired. This season, P8 was the best result for the #93 (Jensen/Müller/Vergne) in the 6-hour race in Sao Paulo last weekend.

© Motorsport Magazine

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