‘It’s a completely different drive’: Red Bull’s development driver thriving in Formula E

Two weeks from now Jake Dennis will be navigating London’s street circuit, a home soil race where he topped the podium last year, but before then he faced up to a more immediate challenge in Formula E.

It’s New York City and the dockside track for the all-electric FIA championship this time out, a double-header with major points on the line in the title fight and an opportunity to wave goodbye to an iconic setting in style.

Dennis is sill a relative newcomer to the FE scene, but in broader racing terms has almost completed the set: a pair of Formula 3 seasons included finishing third overall in 2015, while he has also tasted the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans and is a Formula One development driver for Red Bull.

Right now though, the focus is on the intricacies and specialised approach needed in FE, where there’s work to do to try and secure at least a second top-10 finish in the 22-driver championship.

Last season, New York was not a kind venue to Dennis. A DNF in the first race and a zero points-earning 16th in the second were mostly an aberration in a tremendous debut campaign, meaning he and his Andretti team are naturally looking for an improvement.

But as he tells the Independent, it’s not always just about the pace of the car in Formula E, it’s about managing and timing the power distribution and regeneration in the most effective way which leads to points.

“The biggest thing is that it’s a battery-powered car. In qualifying you don’t need to recharge the car, just drive it as fast as possible, but in the race is a completely different philosophy,” he explains.

“You have to change your mindset and listen to what the car is ‘telling’ you to do.

“There are a series of different beeps and tones in your ear