Jake Dennis delivered a major coup with his victory in the Rome E-Prix. His win in Rome meant that he ended Mitch Evans‘ (Jaguar TCS Racing) consecutive winning streak in Italy.
Starting from Julius Baer Pole Position, Dennis was able to balance power management with the constant threat behind rivals such as Nissan’s Norman Nato and Jaguar’s Sam Bird.
The win puts him at the top of the World Drivers’ Championship with a 24-point lead over Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy, who is tied for the largest lead margin at any time by any driver this year.
Compliments to the Team
“I can’t say enough about how we just won that race,” Dennis said after the E-Prix.
“It was very tactical in the cockpit, trying to keep Bird at some distance while I went to help Mitch. I really needed Norman as my wingman for that race. We worked together really well. I gave him room to help him defend when Bird had ATTACKMODE and when he needed to save, I did exactly that,” he explained.
“What a race, what a team. I know I say it all the time, but they gave me this amazing car. After the mistake, we turned it around with total redemption and I can’t wait to celebrate with them,” Dennis added.
Read also:Formula E Targets Several Cities for the 2024 Calendar
Escaped Collapse
During the race, the Briton narrowly avoided being caught up in an accident on the second lap, in which two title contenders, Evans and Cassidy, came together and ruined both races.
Evans, who hit the rear of his compatriot, was forced to retire, while Cassidy was able to get going again, although he eventually finished 14th. In doing so, Dennis became the first driver to lead a GEN3 race from start to finish.
“All credit to Jake, you know what driving,” Avalanche Andretti Crew Chief Roger Griffiths said after the race. “He held off a lot of very competitive guys behind him and drove a super smart race.
“We got the sums right today, we looked really hard and we have to give credit to our friends at Porsche Motorsport. I mean, the powertrain they gave us to be able to test efficiency is just unbelievable,” concluded the bossman.