„Possibility of Achieving a Strong Result Lost“ – Brake Failure Halts Dennis and Leads to Race Suspension in São Paulo
By Tobias Wirtz, December 9, 2024, 8:56 AM
In the initial Formula E race, Jake Dennis faced misfortune while using his previous number 27. The 2023 world champion was forced to retire midway through the race due to a brake failure. Up until that point, the British driver had delivered an impressive performance throughout the weekend and was considered a strong contender for either a victory or a podium finish in Brazil.
Dennis had a promising start to his Saturday. He clocked the fastest time during the second free practice session in the morning and continued his strong performance by topping the timesheets in the group qualifying session. In the quarterfinals, he easily defeated Jean-Eric Vergne. However, his semifinal matchup against Oliver Rowland was much tighter; Dennis missed out by just one-thousandth of a second to his British compatriot. At an average speed of 136.1 km/h, this small margin translates to approximately 3.7 centimeters! Nonetheless, his lap time was good enough to secure him third place on the grid, marking his best starting position since the Berlin E-Prix in May.
Despite losing several positions at the start, Dennis quickly gained eight places. While in tenth place, he activated four minutes of Attack Mode during lap 9, which allowed him to advance to second place within the next three laps due to the increased power. By the middle of the race, the British driver had conserved significantly more energy than his rivals.
Dennis triggers red flag
Despite having an energy advantage, Dennis was unable to capitalize on it. On lap 20, he experienced a brake failure at the end of the main straight. Thanks to his quick reflexes and a bit of luck, he managed to steer clear of the cars ahead and avoid a collision. Only Zane Maloney was slightly affected, as he, like Dennis, had to go straight through the first corner with his Lola-Yamaha-ABT.
Dennis came to a halt in the runoff area of the first corner, prompting the red warning light on his Andretti car to activate. This marked the end of his race. It was Dennis‘ second consecutive retirement after having finished 25 races in a row prior to this.
For safety reasons, race officials had to pause the race shortly afterward with a red flag to recover the car under heightened safety measures. It was crucial because there was a possibility that the vehicle was electrified, posing a risk of electric shock.
🚩 ALERT 🚩 Jake Dennis has come to a halt on the circuit due to an isolation problem with his vehicle. #SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/GavGs9vNVy — Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024
„A rather disappointing outcome“
Reflecting on the race, Dennis admitted, „It was quite a letdown after such a promising weekend. We truly believed we were in a position to secure a strong result. In the end, a car malfunction forced me to withdraw. However, I’m focusing only on the positives from this weekend. It was the first time in a while that we were competitive.“
„Even though we are all disappointed about not earning any points in Brazil, we’ve made some significant progress and increased our speed,“ he continues. „We now have some time to relax and enjoy the holidays with our families, but I’m confident that we will bounce back quickly and score some points in Mexico City come January.“
Dennis and the Andretti team will have their next opportunity to earn their first World Championship points on January 11, during the second race of the season in Mexico City.
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