Jake Dennis hails Andretti ‘risk’ in major Formula E title shake-up

Jake Dennis has hailed the "risk" Andretti took in the second race of Formula E's Tokyo E-Prix, which saw him snatch the lead of the world championship.

With just two rounds remaining in London next month, Dennis has a minuscule two-point advantage over Mitch Evans, despite having entered the Japan double-header 32 points adrift of the championship lead.

The Season 9 world champion was exceptional in both races, claiming pole position and finishing second in the first before charging from 18th on the grid to third in the second.

It is Dennis' charge through the field in the second race that could prove significant come the end of the season, as Andretti and the Briton gambled on intermediate tyre pressures in wet conditions.

While it made for a treacherous opening few laps as the circuit remained soaked, his pace became formidable as a dry line emerged. If not for a late red flag, victory looked highly likely, just as it had in the opening race before a late energy cut.

Asked if it was effectively the perfect weekend, Dennis told RacingNews365: "Yeah, well, as good as it gets is probably the two races we should have won.

“But yeah, if someone had said to me, 'You're going to get two podiums, you're going to come out as championship leader,' I'd have bitten their hand off. So yeah, it's a great result."

Heading to Tokyo, Dennis was arguably seen as a title outsider, now he might just be the favourite. With Evans picking up 12 points and Pascal Wehrlein zero, it has elevated the Andretti driver into the top spot ahead of the season finale.

Discussing his nearest rivals struggling, Dennis added: "Yeah, I mean, they've been quick [in Tokyo], so I think they just had a few unfortunate corners and made some mistakes along the way.

"Ultimately, we've delivered in every moment where we had to. There was a bit of a mistake in qualifying [on Sunday], but nevertheless, we delivered in the race, took the risk, and it paid off."