Jake Dennis has admitted that McLaren's remarkable efficiency has been the "biggest shock" to Andretti this season, with the British outfit having made huge progress. 2024 is McLaren's second season in Formula E, with their first having been full of mixed results. The Nissan customer team were exceptional in 2023 over one-lap, with Jake Hughes having claimed two pole positions in his rookie season. However, efficiency was there biggest issue, resulting in Hughes and Rene Rast often tumbling down the order during the races. The same could often be said for the factory Nissan team, who supply McLaren with the hardware. This has clearly been worked on during the off-season by the Japanese manufacturer and the British team ahead of Season 10, as McLaren has suddenly become the most efficient side on the grid. Hughes, much to Dennis' shock, had the best efficiency in the recent Diriyah double-header, whilst Nissan driver Oliver Rowland secured pole position. As a result of Nissan, and McLaren in particular, now having a package that is strong both over one-lap and over a race distance, the reigning Formula E World Champion believes the Woking-based team are serious contenders for victory at races like next weekend's São Paulo E-Prix, where energy management will be crucial.
McLaren 'really impressive'
"I think the biggest shock for us is really McLaren and Nissan," Dennis admitted on Formula E's 'The Added Lap' . "Like Jake Hughes' efficiency in [Diriyah] race two was seriously impressive, and that's where they struggled last year. "There was no question about how quick that car was over qualifying. Nissan and McLaren were one of the quickest, but to see the McLaren efficiency in race two was really, really impressive. "I wouldn't say worrying, but like they are seriously contenders for races where it's going to be a little bit more energy limited, like Brazil."
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