Formula E: Dennis seals another London E-Prix win with dominant drive

Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis led from start to finish in his home race as he made it two wins in two years at the London E-Prix.

It was dominant victory from Dennis, who qualified in pole ahead of Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne, to claim his and Avalanche Andretti’s first win of the season.

Dennis held off early advances from Vandoorne, who was keen to seize the initiative in a hectic race for the championship, to seal a lights-to-flag victory on the ExCel circuit.

Despite his efforts to find a way past Dennis, Vandoorne was forced to settle for second, marking his 17th Formula E podium. Although he would have been disappointed not to claim top spot, Vandoorne would have taken great delight in seeing his closest championship rivals stuck further down the order.

Jaguar’s Mitch Evans and Edoardo Mortara of ROKiT Venturi Racing were in the wars early on, and Mortara was eventually forced out of the race entirely. Evans faired best out of the other title contenders, coming home in sixth, with Jean-Éric Vergne finishing in a lowly 13th.

Rounding out the podium positions was Vandoorne’s teammate and reigning Formula E Champion, Nyck De Vries; a rare podium in what has been a difficult season for the Belgian.

Nick Cassidy of Envisio Virgin Racing continued his run of form with a fourth place finish, and coming in at fifth was Oliver Askew who made it two Andrettis in the top five.

The result means Vandoorne extends his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings, with Jaguar’s Mitch Evans up into second but someway behind Vandoorne who sits 26 points ahead of the Kiwi. Edoardo Mortara slips down to third after his early retirement, with Vergne back down to fourth and a long way behind the leader.

Commenting on his first win of the season, a jubilant Dennis said: “I’m over the moon with how we just won that race the way we did it was very special. The car was incredible and just a little bit of strategy from my side and the team at the start when Nyck (de Vries) was running third made the difference. I felt Nyck was going to try and help Stoffel a bit so we pushed when we needed to and got the job done.

“What a great job by everyone in my team – a double points-scoring finish with Oliver (Askew) in there as well. We won on Saturday last year. The best day to win is always Sunday on a double-header but I’ve got another chance to do it all again tomorrow! That experience after the chequered flag with the British fans in there was something else.

“It was one of the best races of my life. With all the lights and the fans, I never expected anything like this – this will be a memory for a lifetime but there’s still a job to do tomorrow.”