New deal, familiar challenge for Dennis and Andretti

Five years to the day since Jake Dennis made his Formula E debut for the Andretti team, the British driver has inked a new multi-year deal with the organization.

So far Dennis has made all 84 of his Formula E starts with Andretti since his debut at the 2021 Diriyah E-Prix. In that time he's won seven times – most recently at this season's first round in Sao Paulo – and took the 2022-23 championship title.

“They've really looked after me over the period of BMW-Andretti and just Andretti, and obviously now with TWG coming on board, it's a really happy place to be,” Dennis tells RACER of his new deal. “I see these guys – there's obviously a professional team – but also, like my family. They've really given me everything I've ever wanted.

“They've given me a world championship as well, so it made sense, with all the options I had on the table, to continue with Andretti. And I have full belief in these guys that we can eventually get back to the level we were at, which is ultimately the goal. So exciting times, and very happy to continue our partnership."

Dennis entered Formula E when Andretti was BMW’s factory team in the series, and he’s maintained a factory contract with the German manufacturer for GT racing since (while also working as a simulator driver for the Red Bull Formula 1 team).

Andretti hasn’t quite rediscovered the heights of that title-winning 2022/23 season. The team has won just twice since then, both coming courtesy of Dennis, and last season it did not register a victory at all. But Dennis is confident that Andretti can get there again and be just as competitive as works teams when the field is reset by the arrival of the GEN4 platform.

“I think some people will probably be like, ‘Oh, should Jake sign for a manufacturer?’ and I think to some people's eyes, maybe yes,” he says. “But there's so much more to it than that. I'm very happy with the decision I've made to still be with a customer team, and to try and get back to the level that we were at, because we're as good as anyone on our day.

“Don't get me wrong, there's times where it is a bit more difficult being a customer team – you have very limited testing, and that does show sometimes, but nevertheless, I'm extremely happy to continue what we've been on for the past five or six years now. And I think it's only going to get better when the new car comes out."

Dennis’ Formula E title came in the first season of the current GEN3 era, with Andretti as a customer of Porsche and his nearest rival Nick Cassidy then driving for Envision Racing, a customer of Jaguar.

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While it was a case of all teams getting to grips with a new formula at the same time, Dennis admits that it was unusual, and that Andretti’s early adaption to the radically different type of racing that the GEN3 bred was what helped. But he acknowledges a repeat when GEN4 arrives next season will be unlikely, given how much preparation factory squads get: 10 times the number of test days with the new cars.

“In an evolution where testing matters the most, to win it in your first year was probably the most unheard of,” he recalls of his 2022-23 triumph. “If we won it this year or, say, last year, it would make more sense, because the customer team has had three years of development, and we know this car inside out now. Whereas back then, we really didn't know anything.

“And we definitely didn't know as much as the guys, who had done 40 days of testing. We did four, so we were really on the back foot, but we just absolutely nailed the basics. We just really understood what is going to make us the quickest, and didn't worry about the really small details.”

While a lack of testing going into a new ruleset isn’t ideal, Dennis insists it won’t be insurmountable thanks to the strength of the Andretti team and his solid relationship with the group – something reiterated with his new long-term commitment, as well as faith in whoever Andretti’s manufacturer partner will be. It’s expected that the team will split from Porsche.

“Obviously, the testing is a big help, and really develops the whole project,” he says. “But if you have a good relationship with the manufacturer and the drivers which are developing the car, if you have full faith in them, and you have good communication with them, then the only thing you're really missing is seat time. Yes, it's a luxury, but I feel like the level we're at now, we don't need to be in the car every single day of the week.

“The first couple of rounds in GEN4 might be a little bit of a struggle for us, but once I'm fully accustomed to the car and everyone understands it a little bit more, I don't see it being a massive hindrance.”

A new approach to how he goes racing is something he also sees as a benefit, too. He’s now more willing to take the best he can on a given day rather than going for ultimate glory, which has bitten him on more than one occasion.

“You just try and do the best thing you can do, make sure you're driving what's underneath you and not trying to overdrive,” he says. “I think I've done that quite a few times, especially since winning the championship.

“Getting that type of stuff right is probably the biggest thing. As I've got older and as I've got more experience, more mature, I can accept that I'm not going to win a race myself on the day, and if the car is capable of a P5 then the goal is P5. That's what we're continuing to work on and improve the consistency of the car to make sure it's always a top five car.”

Nevertheless, Dennis isn’t ruling out a repeat title run in the first year of a new regulation cycle, but with a multi-year agreement signed, he has a clearer, long-term ambition.

“I think we should still be focused on the GEN4 and trying to win it in our first year,” he says, “but it's really probably year two and year three, where you probably have a better chance of doing it just because you've got a full year or two under your belt.”