Jake Dennis was furious after enduring another miserable qualifying session, with the world champion branding his car a “dirty shed”.
Qualifying was Dennis' biggest strength on his way to the title last season, while it has been kryptonite for him and Andretti in 2024.
Andretti's problems continued in qualifying ahead of the opening race of the Berlin E-Prix, where the Briton was the slowest of the opening group.
He will start the race from 20th position, marking his worst starting position of the 10th season. To add to Andretti's woes, Norman Nato was also the slowest in the second group and started 21st.
In a short interview with Formula e Immediately after being eliminated from the playoffs, Dennis described the current situation as “a mess”, while also expressing his frustration on team radio.
“Dude, I probably have the hardest car in the world to drive,” Dennis said on the team radio.
“How are we so far apart? I do two corners like the embrace of my life and the rest falls out. It's unbelievable.”
Peloton is a lifesaver
The big savior for Andretti is that the racing style is in full swing during the two Berlin races.
This means that Dennis' disappointing qualifiers, while frustrating, are not the end of the world after all. The Andretti package is traditionally strong in the peloton, as is their Porsche powertrain.
“I mean I always enjoy the peloton quite a bit, especially if you haven't had the best qualifying session,” Dennis said. Racing News 365 Friday.
“So, for my part, I'm confident that I performed well overall during these races. Obviously, Porsche's powertrain is one of the best on the grid, so when power is limited, you always perform well.”
