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Jake Dennis will need to overturn a five-point deficit to Pascal Wehrlein if he is to become a two-time Formula E world champion in Sunday’s season finale in London.
The Andretti driver arrived at the season-ending double-header with a two-point advantage, but Saturday’s race changed the shape of the title fight. Dennis recovered from fifth to finish second, while Porsche’s Wehrlein took victory and moved into the championship lead with one race remaining.
The result leaves Dennis needing a decisive final performance — and, by his own admission, an unpredictable race. His title hopes now sit against a Wehrlein-led fight that has already produced a significant swing in momentum. The latest championship pressure is also reflected in Wehrlein’s crucial London E-Prix front-row result.
Victory was never a realistic prospect for Dennis on Saturday after Porsche’s Nico Müller controlled the pack from the opening stages. Müller’s defensive driving limited the opportunities for those behind him, with Jaguar’s Mitch Evans caught in the same train.
Dennis recognised the problem almost immediately.
“By Turn 3 on the first lap, I knew that they were playing games. So I knew if Mitch couldn’t pass, really no one was going to pass,” Dennis told RacingNews365.
He added that Müller was particularly difficult to overtake around the circuit: “It’s so easy for Nico to defend round here. So, yeah, a difficult one when I’m just circulating in P5. But, yeah, there’s only so much I can do in fifth.”
A full-course yellow worked in Dennis’s favour, while the Andretti driver said the Pit Boost phase was the point at which he could finally demonstrate his pace.
The season finale is expected to generate further chaos, not least because it is the final event of the Gen3 era and is being held at London’s ExCeL Centre. For Dennis, that uncertainty could be the opening he needs.
“I mean, absolutely. I need some drama. I need something to happen to try and obviously win this thing,” he said.
Dennis does not expect the leading drivers to create reckless incidents, stressing that they are all world-class competitors. Instead, he anticipates strategic games as the title contenders fight for position.
“It will just be, yeah, some games going on for sure to try and obviously win the thing,” he concluded.
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