After battery explosion on penultimate lap in Jeddah: Jake Dennis suspects connection with Pit Boost

Friday's race day was an extremely tough one for the Andretti Formula E team. Early in the race, Nico Müller collided heavily with Antonio Felix da Costa and retired with major damage for the second time this season. Jake Dennis felt anything but comfortable in the car, but did everything right to score valuable points for the team. It was no use though as his car retired on the penultimate lap due to a technical failure.

The reason for the late retirement was damage to the battery. Dennis suggested that it could have been connected with the Pit Boost that was first used during the race: "The battery has now been through two Pit Boosts. Once during the first practice session in Jarama - it exploded. And now we have just done one and it has exploded again."

Dennis looks worried and desperate: "This is not good. The first race with Pit Boost and we lose a battery. Solid start for us...", says the former world champion with an ironic undertone. However, he is not threatened with a penalty for Saturday: "Fortunately, we won't get a penalty and will replace it (the battery) tomorrow."

It was also the second time in three races that Dennis had to retire. The US team, which relies on the actually powerful Porsche powertrain, is in a hole. A hole that made Dennis doubt in Jeddah whether the situation could improve at all in the foreseeable future: "I mean... my season has been poor so far. We have raced three times and I have retired twice with technical failures. Solid...", said the visibly frustrared Brit in an interview after the race.

A small glimmer of hope

However, Andretti's problems do not end with the technical issues. Dennis' pace has been unusually slow in Jeddah so far. He has been complaining about his car since the first free practice session. First it understeered too much, then it oversteered too much - the entire balance did not seem to be right. In qualifying, Dennis' frustration reached new heights due to his 16th place on the grid, and he had to vent on the radio: "Honestly, I am happy with my lap time! That's all I can do with this."

Before Dennis was forced to park his car in the race, he drove surprisingly well. At the start of the race, he was even able to work his way into the top 5 with his Attack Mode, but later lost some ground again. He is sure that points were possible: "It was better than we would have thought at first. In the end, sixth place might even have been possible." The race pace gives him hope for the second race in Jeddah.

We should not expect a fundamental turnaround in the short time between the two races though. It will also be difficult for Andretti on Saturday. But with a bit more luck and a similarly good pace, points are definitely possible. The race in Jeddah starts again at 6 pm (CET).