Dennis on brink of first world title ahead of 2023 Hankook London E-Prix
Published
Britain’s Jake Dennis is on the brink of claiming his first world championship title as the Avalanche Andretti Formula E team driver goes into the final two races of the Formula E season in front of home fans on a track where he has won twice before.
A win would be enough to seal a first world championship title for Dennis in the opening race of the 2023 Hankook London E-Prix double-header on Saturday. But as this season has proved time and again, anything can happen – and usually does – in Formula E.
Races 15 and 16 in Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will settle what has been arguably the most competitive and entertaining in Formula E history. The introduction of the third generation GEN3 race car this year – the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built – has seen Formula E records smashed including the fastest lap and the most overtakes, lead changes and different leaders in a race.
There have been seven different winners representing six different teams, with only TAG Heuer Porsche able count both their drivers as winners in Season 9. Eleven drivers have made it to the podium and 19 drivers have led a lap - beating Formula E's Season 7 record. This is how the Formula E fanbase is expanding fast as the unpredictable, exciting, competitive and entertaining nature of the sport stands out from the crowd.
Dennis is one of four drivers who quickly mastered the revolutionary EV technology and battled for the lead all season long as the championship returned to top circuits in Berlin, Mexico City, Diriyah, Jakarta, Monaco and Rome, while debuting in– Hyderabad, Cape Town, São Paulo and Portland.
Dennis will be challenged by several drivers still in contention for the championship title including Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy, Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing and TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team driver Pascal Wehrlein.
After a dramatic two days in Rome, Dennis was propelled to the top of the leader board with a 24-point advantage over Cassidy in second. Evans is 44 points back in third while Wehrlein still has a mathematical chance of the top spot at 49 points behind Dennis.
With 25 points for the race win, and 18 points for second (plus three points for pole position and one for the fastest lap), only a Dennis victory on Saturday will be enough to claim the title outright with a race to spare. One thing is for sure: Cassidy, Evans, Wehrlein and the other 18 drivers will be out to rewrite that storyline.
The Teams’ World Championship is also wide open and likely to go to the final race. Envision Racing lead the way in the Teams' table by 14 points over TAG Heuer Porsche while Jaguar TCS Racing lie in third with 228 points.
LONDON CALLING
Formula E returns to East London's historic docklands and the ExCeL events arena in the London Borough of Newham.
The 2.09km, 20-turn track starts off indoors on a silky-smooth surface offering bags of grip, and after a quick succession of the corners the pack heads outside.
Immediately on exit they will touch a strip of slippy metal, before heading down into the outdoor portion with the highly abrasive asphalt surrounding the exhibition centre.
The outside features a flowing set of chicanes prime for passing opportunities. From there it's a quick run down to a twisty set of curves before heading back up and inside the main hall to finish a lap.
With changes in surface, elevation and dealing with the shift in lighting, the field face a unique challenge with this indoor and outdoor circuit.
Saturday, July 29
·Qualifying – 630 am ET
·Race – 10:30 am ET
Sunday, July 30
·Qualifying – 630 am ET
·Race – 10:30 am ET