Andretti Shanghai weekend ended with double-header with plenty of positives despite contrasting fortunes across the two races. Jake Dennis secured podium in Round 12, while Felipe Drugovich claimed his maiden Formula E pole position in Round 13. The American outfit climbed to third in the Teams’ Championship after another strong points haul.
Following a wet and unpredictable weekend at Shanghai, Andretti drivers Dennis and Drugovich combined for 38 championship points across two races. The changing weather conditions affected the outcome of Sunday’s race. However, Andretti managed to leave China having strengthened its position in the championship battle.
Jake Dennis reflects on Shanghai podium weekend
The Andretti Shanghai weekend began strongly for Jake Dennis. He qualified third before battling at the front with Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa. Well-executed PIT BOOST and Attack Mode strategies helped the Brit secure third place. It marked his second consecutive podium and Andretti’s 43rd in Formula E.
The following weekend, Sunday proved more challenging for Andretti at Shanghai E-Prix. After traffic compromised his qualifying lap, Dennis started outside the top 10 and briefly climbed to fourth. Later, he followed his first Attack Mode activation. However, as the circuit dried, Andretti struggled with grip and energy management, leaving Dennis to finish 13th.
“Overall, very happy to come away with my second podium in a row. I think third was generally the maximum we could have achieved today. We weren’t quite quick enough in the pit stop window to mount an attack for the race win, but nevertheless, to come away with a third and fourth for the team is another great points haul for the team in our Championship fight. It could have easily got very messy out there with the conditions, but I think Felipe and I did a good job to bring it home and score valuable points. We’ll be looking to do the same again tomorrow. Hopefully the weather conditions hold off and we can actually get some racing under our belts.”
Dennis looks ahead after mixed Shanghai weekend
Reflecting on the second race during the weekend at Shanghai, Andretti driver Dennis added:
“It was a frustrating way to end the weekend because I think we had more potential than the result shows. Qualifying was disappointing as I was on a lap that should have put me into the Duels, but I got caught up in traffic and never had the chance to improve. From there, we managed the opening part of the race well and the first Attack Mode worked as planned, but as the circuit dried we just weren’t in the right window.
We struggled with grip and it was difficult to hit energy targets running alone on track. Ultimately that left us vulnerable to those around us on different strategies. It’s one of those races where the conditions evolved quickly and we ended up on the wrong side of it. There are still positives from the weekend though, especially with the team’s move up to third in the Championship, so we’ll take those and focus on coming back stronger next time in Tokyo.”
Felipe Drugovich encouraged despite difficult finale
Felipe Drugovich also played a key role in the Andretti Shanghai weekend. Drugovich continued his impressive rookie campaign throughout the Shanghai weekend. He recovered from ninth on the grid to finish fourth in Saturday’s race. Despite early contact, the Brazilian claimed his first Formula E pole position on Sunday after progressing through every Duel.
Although changing track conditions prevented him from converting pole into victory, Andretti’s Drugovich led the race early on before eventually finishing sixth, scoring enough points to move up to 11th in the Drivers’ Championship while remaining the highest-placed rookie after the weekend at Shanghai.
“It was a good race today. The start was a bit messy with the fighting to get up into the front and with nobody knowing if the rain would continue. But we did a good job and optimized our race. The car felt good and I’m glad Jake and I were able to bring home some good points for the team. I hope we’re able to race tomorrow and the rain holds off as we have a solid car and I’m confident we can fight for another result.”
Drugovich takes positives despite difficult Sunday
Following Sunday’s race, Drugovich reflected on his maiden Formula E pole position and the difficult conditions at Shanghai.
“It’s a bit of a bittersweet day. Obviously, I’m really happy to have achieved my first Pole Position in Formula E however the race did not go our way. We had a very strong car in the wet and the whole team did a great job to put us on the front-row but unfortunately, once the track started to dry we just struggled with the balance and energy consumption compared to some of the cars around us in dry setups.
There’s still some positives to take away. We scored good points and the team has moved up to third in the Teams’ Championship, which is important. We’ve shown throughout the weekend that we’re consistently fighting at the front and that’s encouraging for the second half of the season. Hopefully we can build on this momentum heading into the next races.”
Andretti gains ground in Formula E standings
Team Principal Roger Griffiths praised the team’s execution across Andretti’s Shanghai weekend despite the challenging weather conditions. He highlighted Dennis’ back-to-back podium and Drugovich’s maiden Formula E pole position. It was evidence of the team’s growing competitiveness. Moreover, it also proved that changing track conditions during Sunday’s race ultimately worked against Andretti’s strategy.
Overall, the Andretti Shanghai weekend proved to be a productive one for the American squad. The team overtook Mahindra Racing to move into third in the Teams’ Championship. Now they will head to Tokyo aiming to continue their recent momentum in closing stages of Formula E season.
