Jake Dennis claimed an emotional victory at the 2026 Formula E Lianxin Sanya E-Prix in what initially was an Andretti 1-2 before Felipe Drugovich’s penalty.
The Brit started P1 after claiming pole position in an unexpected final battle against his teammate Drugovich. Dennis had a strong race start before tactically dropping back to serve his first Attack Mode. Making his way back to the top, his race was interrupted on Lap 19 as a red flag was triggered due to an incident at the hairpin.
At the standing restart, Dennis got off to another strong start before once again falling back, activating his final Attack Mode, and regaining the lead with an energy advantage. Despite a last-minute Full Course Yellow, Dennis crossed the chequered flag first with his teammate behind in P2.
Unfortunately, Drugovich was hit with a post-race five-second time penalty for contact with Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. The penalty demoted him from P2 to P5.
“Very special maximum points”: Dennis on Andretti’s initial 1-2
Speaking in the media pen after the race, before Drugovich’s penalty was announced, Dennis reflected on the surprising result, praising the Andretti car and the team’s hard work.
“Yeah. I mean, it came unexpected, to be honest, I didn’t expect to be so good this weekend. You know, I felt like, you know, generally it’s always one driver who’s a little bit ahead, but me and Felipe have both been on level power all weekend, qualifying, push running, energy running,” he shared.
“And, uh, yeah, I mean, what a car that gave us, um, and all we kind of had to do was keep out the walls and drive it. And, um, yeah, I think we did just that. So yeah, great, great result for the team. Very special maximum points. And, um, we can both be very happy.”
With these points, Andretti has moved up to P4 in the Team’s Standings, sitting just 16 points ahead of Nissan, and 26 behind Mahindra in P3.
Key to success in Sanya
As the 2026 Formula E Sanya E-Prix marked the first return to Sanya, China, since Season 5 in 2019, drivers faced the challenge of quickly adapting to the demanding conditions. The Sanya Haitang Bay circuit’s combination of long straights, tight corners, and high temperatures required careful tyre and energy management.
Therefore, when asked about what it was about his Andretti machinery that felt good and allowed him to drive to victory in Sanya, Dennis shared:
“I have more grip than everyone else. That’s what happens. It’s basically like driving a Ferrari, maybe versus an Audi. Let’s go with that. I think I had the best car on the grid. I won the race and that’s generally how motorsport goes. But, uh, yeah, there’s no denying it. Mine and Felipe’s car this weekend was, uh, was phenomenal.”
A personally significant moment
Although the 2026 Formula E Sanya E-Prix win proved emotional for the team, it held personal significance for Dennis due to a tough week for his family.
“Yeah. I mean, I never get emotional at all. And, um, yeah, I think we’ve been through a lot these past two weeks, uh, me and my fiance and, uh, we’ve obviously announced that we’ve got a little one on the way as well. And, uh, yeah, it was just, uh, a nice message to send them home.”
He continued: “Uh, but yeah, looking forward to rushing back to them. I spend 20 hours at home before I have to go off to the Spa 24 hour race next weekend. Uh, and then obviously I have Shanghai the weekend after that. So very busy for me. Uh, but you know, I wouldn’t have any other way.”
