After enduring a challenging few rounds filled with bad luck and misfortune, Jake Dennis has confirmed that he’s absolutely “back in the title hunt”, after claiming a magical podium at the Monaco E-Prix.
Dennis’ season was quickly unravelling into one of ‘what could’ve been’ following the first race in Berlin; however, the British driver has certainly regained control of his season and most importantly, his title chances. His well-deserved third-place finish at the Circuit de Monaco on Saturday saw him claim his second podium in a row after he finished second in Berlin’s second race.
The entire day in Monaco was a solid one for the Avalanche Andretti Formula E driver, who gave himself a great chance of a big result by qualifying eleventh. Whilst he missed the duels, Dennis knew that being close to the top ten would give him a chance of a podium, something which proved to be true. He made strong progress in the opening stages of the race and quickly got himself into the top three, behind Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy.
Dennis tried to get Evans for second a few times but wasn’t able to find a way past the Kiwi, who defended superbly. Unfortunately, the Briton was unable to use his energy advantage on the final lap due to it having been neutralised behind a Safety Car, something which did leave him a little frustrated. Nevertheless, third was still a brilliant result, especially as he hit the wall on his first lap.
The podium resulted in Dennis moving into third in the Drivers’ Championship, where he finds himself twenty-five points behind Cassidy, who took the lead of the standings.
“Back on the podium, two races in a row again,” said a delighted Dennis after the race. “I think I had to make it up to the boys after hitting the wall in my first lap. We had a car to start in the front two rows today. Mistake on my behalf, so I think I have some beer money for sure tonight to repay them!
“Super happy but a little disappointed in certain ways, we had the most efficient car but we didn’t quite optimise it with leading at the right point. It is a bit frustrating that you have 2% more than the cars in front but can’t do anything about it. Nevertheless really happy and we are back in the title hunt for sure – looking forward to celebrating with the boys tonight and enjoying it.”
Dennis’ podium also helped the team move into fourth in the Constructors’ Championship; however, team-mate André Lotterer was unable to add to Dennis’ points finish after crashing out on the second lap, thanks to helping hand from René Rast at the final corner.
