RIYADH: Newly-crowned Formula E champion Jake Dennis says that adapting quickly to the new electric GEN3 car was one of the key factors in securing his first FIA world title.
The Avalanche Andretti driver finished second in the opening race of the London E-Prix doubleheader to win the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, becoming the first British racer to claim a global title at home.
The season saw him claim 11 podium finishes including triumphs in Mexico and Rome as well as back-to-back runner-up finishes at Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah E-Prix races in January. While he was pleased to deliver strong performances, Dennis said the third-generation car suited his driving style throughout the season.
The Gen3 is the world’s first electric race car designed and optimized specifically for street racing. It debuted in season nine and is a huge leap in technological development — with engineers delivering the lightest and most powerful car ever built in this category.
Capable of a top speed of 322 kph, it is 53 kg lighter with a smaller chassis meant for street racing. An additional front powertrain adds 250 kW to the 350 kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capacity of the current GEN2 car to 600 kW — with more than 40 percent of the energy used in-race regenerated under braking.
The 28-year-old said: “The Gen3 suited my style very well. It was very fluid to how it had been in the previous years of Gen2 where it was about numbers and strategy, whereas this year it was how the driver felt in certain situations. We are the world champion so I’d be lying if I said it didn’t suit my driving style as it did and I performed at a high level.”
Dennis finished the campaign 30 points ahead of runner-up Nick Cassidy. He admitted he did not expect to be challenging for the title after the testing sessions in Valencia prior to the start of the season.
“I’d be lying if I said I expected to win in Mexico and win the title. We left the testing in Valencia thinking that we were one of the slowest powertrains on the grid. We were missing one second per lap compared to Maserati and it’s just a huge turnaround in terms of performance. To come back and register one-two in the first three races were extremely impressive and something I feel that we deserved.”
He added: “I don’t think I can describe the emotions that I felt when crossing the line (in London) but the world championship means so much to me. We’ve put in so much hard work in the last two to three years and happy that I could repay the team.”
