Dennis: Rome will be "a tough day in the office"

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Dennis: Rome will be "a tough day in the office"

Championship leader Jake Dennis vented his frustration at the pace of his Avalanche Andretti, as he lines up for Saturday’s Hankook Rome E-Prix in seventh.

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The Brit is in a tough title fight, with four rounds to go, as one of his rivals Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) starts achieved the Julius Baer Pole Position and starts from the front row of the grid. 

Dennis, who made it into the Quarter Finals of the Duels for a fourth consecutive race, went up against the Jaguar TCS Racing of Sam Bird who came out on top. 

“We just didn't have the pace,” the Avalanche Andretti driver said about the qualifying. “My first lap in the group stage was pretty strong, and then the second one was compromised. I had to lift at Turn 4 due to the yellow flag, but we just scraped through. I took some risks to make it back on the lap as we lost a couple of tenths there.”

After the Group B session, where Dennis proceeded through to the Duels, he was investigated for speeding under the yellow flags but it was decided that all was fine. 

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“The Jaguars this weekend are extremely strong. I knew it half way through the season that this track would play into their strengths, it’s the same for London. The stop-start corners, their traction, it is just unbelievable compared to ours.”

Lining up in seventh and with another of his two championship rivals, Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche), starting in ninth and tenth just behind him, it’s going to be a tough race for Dennis. 

“I think we did a good job,” he added. “I am the top Porsche driver and that is all we had today with the package. I am relatively pleased but ultimately we are slow. We are a long way off the Jaguar powertrains and the Nissans look extremely strong. 

“It’s going to be a tough day in the office today and tomorrow, but if we can just try and survive and pick up points here and there we should be pleased with that.”

Dennis had three consecutive front row starts until today, at a track he knows well. He started second here in 2022 in the final race of the doubleheader, but ultimately retired due to damage to his car.

Jake Dennis interview