The Season 12 finale at the Hankook London E‑Prix I delivered drama for the Andretti Formula E team at the ExCeL circuit as Jake Dennis claimed a vital second place while team‑mate Felipe Drugovich faded to 16th after his race was compromised by timing and energy issues.
Qualifying and race build‑up
Action began across practice sessions on the indoor‑outdoor London track. Dennis showed consistent pace, finishing fifth in Free Practice 1 and sixth in Free Practice 2. Drugovich was less comfortable on his first outing at the unique circuit, recording 13th and 16th in the two sessions.
Both Andretti drivers contested Group A in qualifying. Dennis advanced into the Duels, securing the team’s 54th appearance in that stage, and reached the Quarter Final Duel where he narrowly lost to Dan Ticktum by 0.072 seconds. That left Dennis to start from fifth on the grid. Drugovich was unable to make the top four in his group and lined up eighth for the race.
Race dynamics and pivotal moments
The early phases of the E‑Prix were marked by methodical running. Porsche’s Nico Müller appeared to adopt a defensive role early on to allow team‑mate Pascal Wehrlein to build a lead. Dennis retained his fifth place as the first Attack Mode window approached; Drugovich dropped three places to 17th.
Drugovich’s race unravelled when his first Attack Mode stint coincided with a Full Course Yellow. The stoppage curtailed the advantage normally gained from Attack Mode, leaving him with a significant energy deficit and insufficient time to recover. That combination effectively ended his prospects for a strong finish.
Dennis, meanwhile, timed his attack strategy differently. He deferred an early Attack Mode and used a late Attack Mode in concert with a PIT BOOST during the second Full Course Yellow, a sequence that allowed him to preserve and then exploit a positive energy delta relative to rivals.
When racing returned to green, Dennis capitalised on that energy advantage to overtake both Ticktum and António Félix da Costa, moving into second and holding the position to the chequered flag. The race included two Full Course Yellow periods that extended the distance by one additional lap.
What the result means for Andretti and the championship
The runner‑up finish is the team’s 46th podium and pushes their tally to 79 top‑five finishes in Formula E competition. It is also Andretti’s seventh podium in London, underlining the team’s strong record at ExCeL.
For Dennis, the second place keeps him in contention in the championship fight, closing in on the leading positions in the standings with 164 points following the result.
- Podium: Jake Dennis, P2
- Team‑mate: Felipe Drugovich, P16 — compromised by Attack Mode timing and energy loss
- Race incidents: two Full Course Yellow periods, one added lap to race distance
| Driver | Team | Finishing position |
|---|---|---|
| Jake Dennis | Andretti Porsche 99X Electric | 2 |
| Felipe Drugovich | Andretti Porsche 99X Electric | 16 |
Local perspective and next steps
Onsite at ExCeL, the indoor‑outdoor layout continued to challenge teams and drivers with its changeable conditions and tight margins. The timing of Attack Mode activations during Full Course Yellows proved decisive — a tactical twist that teams will scrutinise before the second London E‑Prix this season.
Now the focus shifts to the remaining rounds of the Season 12 finale. Dennis’s result has bolstered his position in the standings and keeps title ambitions alive; Andretti will want to convert that momentum into a stronger overall outcome across the weekend.
Local spectators who followed the race at ExCeL saw not only decisive driver skill but the tactical complexity that defines modern Formula E: managing energy, timing Attack Mode activations and exploiting the brief windows of advantage created by race neutralisations.
Further details on the championship standings and how other teams fared across the weekend will determine the equation heading into the next meeting. For now, Andretti leaves London with a podium and a clear reminder that strategy, as much as outright pace, can decide results on this circuit.
