Jake Dennis Tops FE Free Practice Two on Home Soil

Jake Dennis claimed top spot in Saturday’s opening session at the London E-Prix, with the British driver looking best ahead of the day’s Qualifying session. Oliver Rowland and André Lotterer sealed second and third in Free Practice Two, whilst Drivers’ Championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne occupying eighth place, exactly where he was on Friday.

With Qualifying just an hour away, all twenty-two of the runners were quick to get on with push laps ahead of their Group Stage clashes. With that in mind, it only took ten minutes of FP2 for Sérgio Sette Câmara‘s Free Practice One leading time to be beaten. Dennis and Alexander Sims both went below a 1:14.5 within the opening few minutes, something only Sette Câmara managed on Friday.

Lotterer was the first spinner of the day at the ExCeL Centre; however, quickly recovered at Turn Sixteen. Times continued to tumble rapidly, with reigning Formula E World Champion Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne dipping into the 1:13s. The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team appear to be mighty strong ahead of qualifying.

Sette Câmara soon joined the Mercedes duo in the high 1:13s, following on from his strong start to the weekend on Friday. Lucas Di Grassi and Maximilian Günther become the next two to venture into the 1:13s with just nine minutes remaining in the session, which was then red-flagged after Dan Ticktum went off at Turn Six. At the time of causing the red-flag, Ticktum was stone-last and the only driver yet to break into the 1:14s.

The session resumed with only three minutes remaining, resulting in a sudden dash for one final push lap before qualifying. Whilst the Mercedes duo failed to improve, Evans jumped into the 1:13s, as did Rowland and Lotterer. Then came Dennis, who claimed top spot with a 1:13.661, with just a tenth separating the top four.

A second separated the top twenty incredibly, with only a disappointed Sam Bird and Ticktum ending the session outside the one-second window. In regards to the title fight, Evans and Vandoorne appear the best prepared for qualifying, with Jean-Éric Vergne and Edoardo Mortara towards the bottom of the field.