Jake Dennis arrives at the Formula E season finale in London as the championship leader, but the Andretti driver insists he still feels like the outsider in the title fight. With a slender two-point advantage over Jaguar’s Mitch Evans and five over Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, Dennis heads to the ExCeL Arena—the venue of two of his nine career wins—aware that the momentum has shifted his way only recently.
Dennis’s path to the top of the standings has been remarkable. After a difficult start to the season, he was languishing in eighth place and 62 points behind Evans following the Monaco race in early May. But a strong run through the Asian rounds, including a double-header in Tokyo where he scored 37 points despite setbacks, has transformed his campaign. He now leads with 146 points, with Evans on 123 and Wehrlein on 121. Oliver Rowland trails by 14, while Antonio Felix da Costa and Nick Cassidy are further back.
Despite his position, Dennis remains humble about his chances. “I kind of still feel like the underdog,” he told The Race. “I feel like it’s been Mitch’s and Pascal’s to lose, and I’ve just arrived at the party and am somehow still leading it.” His comments reflect a season where Evans and Wehrlein have often been the pace-setters, but both have stumbled in recent races, allowing Dennis to sneak ahead.
Dennis’s respect for Evans is genuine. He admitted that if he doesn’t win the title, he would love to see the Jaguar driver finally crowned, given Evans’s history of near-misses. “I feel like that bloke has been the bridesmaid for so many years,” Dennis said. “If there’s one deserving champion out of a Gen3 era, I do feel like it’s him because he’s finished second so many times.” While these words are heartfelt, they also serve as a subtle psychological jab at Wehrlein and Porsche, who will be all too aware of the sentiment.
The relationship between Andretti and Porsche has been strained throughout their four-season partnership, which ends this weekend. In 2023, when Dennis won his first title, he held a 24-point lead going into the final event, but tension boiled over when Wehrlein, not in title contention, raced Dennis aggressively. That led to a furious Michael Andretti confronting senior Porsche management. Although hands were shaken and respect exists, the desire to beat each other remains strong.
Dennis downplayed any potential gamesmanship, saying nothing has changed since the last race in Tokyo. “We won’t be accepting any new software which comes our way,” he said. “We’re kind of going into it with the same car, and there’s no denying it, they’ll be doing their race and we’ll be doing our race.” He also dismissed the idea that Porsche would ever help him or vice versa. “They would never send a call to help Pascal because they kind of know I would never do it, and vice versa,” he explained. “May the best man win really, and obviously we’ve got Mitch in the mix as well, who has da Costa, who’s not in the title fight really. So, he’s definitely got a wingman there.”
Indeed, Evans has the support of his Jaguar teammate da Costa, while Dennis may need assistance from his own teammate, Felipe Drugovich. With 59 points still available across the two London races, team tactics could play a crucial role. Dennis acknowledged that manipulation is possible, especially with the new PitBoost element. “A lot of people can manipulate the race, and we’ve already seen tactics in Tokyo, where other guys are sort of placing themselves perfectly in that pit boost window to then slow the leaders down when we pit,” he said. “London is chaos; I think the PitBoost will bring out a whole different element.”
Dennis is hopeful that Drugovich, who had a rough time in Tokyo, can bounce back and provide support. “Ultimately, we need both cars up there,” he said. “I need Felipe by my side to help me try and win this thing because I think definitely Jaguar and Porsche will have both their guys there.”
The London finale promises to be a tense and dramatic conclusion to the season. Dennis, who has already achieved so much in the Gen3 era, now has the chance to add a second title. But he knows that the underdog tag might not last long if he can hold off his rivals on home turf.
