Jake Dennis had admitted he will be more sensible at the 2023 Formula E finale in London as he looks to secure the biggest title in his motorsport career this weekend.
Dennis leads Nick Cassidy by 24 points going into the London double-header at the ExCel centre. Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein are mathematically still in the title race at 44 and 51 points behind, with 58 points up for grabs across the two qualifyings and two races.
“I’ll just stay a bit more sensible when it comes to overtakes and stuff like that,” Dennis exclusively told Total-Motorsport.com. “I don’t need to make that last dive bomb, unless it’s absolutely necessary to win the championship. If it’s for a random point here or there it makes no sense.
“They [Cassidy, Evans and Wehrlein] can take more risks to try and win the championship. We just need to be clever and not pick up any stupid damage, any mistakes. The first priority is we are fast. If we are fast in London, then we are out of all the danger zones and if the team can give me a good car, I’m confident in myself.”
Will Dennis’ dreams come true?
Dennis had a torrid run in the middle of the season where he went four consecutive races without scoring a point but has finished in the top four at every E-Prix since the second Berlin event.
The British driver is in just his third Formula E campaign after spending his career in junior single-seater categories and GT championships.
“Formula E a championship I’ve always wanted to win,” said Dennis. “If we do that, then great. If we don’t, it’s not meant to be.
“But we deserve to be in the fight, we deserve to be leading the championship by this much. We will just focus on doing our own thing in London and getting the points. We don’t need to go and win the races, just be clever with it.”
Dennis full of confidence
Five podiums, a fourth place and victory in Rome from the last six races saw Dennis rise to the top of the standings and his lead grew thanks to Evans and Cassidy‘s dramatic collision in the Italian capital.
The positive feelings surrounding Dennis are perhaps exacerbated by his form in London from 2022 where he took victory in the first race and was second in the Sunday E-Prix.
But, his double podium was done in the Gen2 car whereas this year the Gen3 machines will run for the first time in the half indoors London track, which has been slightly changed to be faster in the final sector, and Formula E have introduced the lowest energy usage in its history for the finale.
“London and Rome are very similar,” said Dennis. “I was fast in Rome last year in qualifying and fast in Rome. I think the BMW powertrain [in 2022] and differential worked really well around London, so that gave me confidence to perform.
“I’m not expecting the complete same this year. The Jaguars will still be extremely strong. I’ve got to try and take the fight to them. I’m confident I can do that. It will be difficult to beat them but we don’t need to. We just need to be there and be close.”
