Jake Dennis got Formula E’s double-header season finale in Berlin well underway, edging out Edoardo Mortara and teammate Maximilian Guenther to close out a tight practice session, where the top seven cars were all within a tenth of second.
With an 18-way title fight on the line, the BMW i Andretti driver hit the top of the order with a time of 1:06.949. A perfect goodbye on home soil could be on the cards for the German manufacturer, who announced their exit from the championship following the pre-season test in Valencia.
However, Dennis’ time in Formula E is far from over, with the British title contender revealing earlier today that he will continue with the newly independent Andretti Autosport team for Season 8.
Having been the venue for the final six races of Season 6, the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit is a familiar sight to all but four drivers, who began to find their groove around the 2.4km track.
On his final weekend for the Nissan e.dams team ahead of his move to Mahindra for the 2021-22 season, Oliver Rowland led the way at the halfway mark. His 1:07.606 lap put him over nine-tenths clear of teammate Sebastien Buemi and a second clear of DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne.
As the session began to draw to a close, the times tumbled as drivers clocked in their 250kW laps. ROKiT Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara split the BMW i Andretti duo at the top of the timing sheets, with Guenther only 0.016 seconds off the fellow BMW’s leading time.
Off the back of his maiden Formula E victory in London last month, Mahindra’s Alex Lynn was fourth fastest ahead of Vergne and Mercedes EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne.
Mitch Evans locked in the seventh fastest lap of the session to go within one tenth of Dennis’ time. Sebastien Buemi ended in eighth, just ahead of TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein who has been retained by the German team for next season.
Reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa rounded out the top 10, as championship leader Nyck de Vries could only manage 14th but still ahead of Jaguar’s Sam Bird in 16th.
Meanwhile, de Vries’ compatriot and closest rival, Robin Frijns, looked to be struggling. Both he and Envision Virgin teammate Nick Cassidy languished down in 20th and 21st, respectively.
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