Credit: Sam Bagnall courtesy of FIA Formula E
Championship leader Jake Dennis is “trying not to think” about becoming the first ever British Formula E World Champion, at this weekend’s season finale in London.
The British driver heads to this weekend’s London E-Prix double-header with a comfortable advantage over nearest title rival Nick Cassidy, to the extent that he could become World Champion on Saturday.
Dennis enters his home E-Prix with a strong 24-point lead over Cassidy, with a maximum of 58 points up for grabs at the ExCeL Centre. It does appear that the stars are aligned for Dennis to become the first British World Champion of the all-electric series this weekend, given that the finale is taking place in the British capital.
Winning the title in front of his home fans would be a spine-tingling moment for the 28-year-old, who admitted that winning the title in London would be “pretty special”.
“I mean, yeah, they’re there to make it happen, for sure,” Dennis told Motorsport Week, when asked if the stars have aligned for him to claim the crown.
“I think it would be great if we could come home Champion after a what year we’ve had. Obviously, doing it on home soil would be pretty special, but I’m just trying not to think too much ahead about that right now.
“I’m just focusing on Saturday and if we do a good job in qualifying and then the race, then everything should take care of itself. So, yeah, just take it session by session, not make any mistakes, and we should be good.”
The ExCeL Centre has been a very strong venue for Dennis across the last two seasons, with him having claimed two victories at the unique indoor/outdoor circuit. He also started both races on pole position last season, but only won one of the races. In the other, he finished second behind Lucas Di Grassi.
With his recent performances in London having come in Gen2 machinery though, Dennis believes his strong record at the circuit counts for nothing this weekend.
“I think it’s a complete reset, to be honest,” admitted Dennis.
“The tracks changed in sector three, and then the car is also completely different. The powertrain is different, the tyres are different. So I think we’re coming into this of everyone’s just on a reset. I’ve done well here in the past, but I can’t see it transforming over.
“I mean, if we’ve got a good car, then, yeah, we’ll perform well, but if we’re struggling with the setup and stuff like that, my driving won’t be able to accommodate for it.”
As mentioned, Dennis can become World Champion on Saturday; however, to do so he needs to score five points more than Cassidy in the first race of the finale.
Accomplishing that would make Sunday’s race much more relaxing for the Briton and the team, who already have a party planned for Sunday night to mark the close of season nine.
“I mean, there’s always a party planned for the last race of the season for sure,” revealed the British driver, when asked if a party had been pre-planned to potentially celebrate the title.
“Whether we win or we don’t. Yeah, we deserve to celebrate no matter what the result.”
Keyword: Dennis ‘trying not to think’ about becoming first British Formula E World Champion