The 2025/26 Formula E Jeddah E-Prix double header did not go the way that Andretti Formula E had hoped, as the American team left Saudi Arabia with only two points.
Early Round 4 setbacks
Day 1 in Jeddah began poorly for Dennis and Drugovich, who failed to reach the qualifying Dual stages, leaving them in P9 and P17. In the race, Dennis tried to gain positions with an early PIT BOOST and Attack Mode strategy, moving up to P2 before dropping back to P9 as his rivals attacked late. Drugovich ran an opposing strategy, taking a late PIT BOOST to save energy, but a blocked radiator duct limited cooling and Attack Mode effectiveness, leaving him in P15.
On a positive note, Dennis’s P9 continued the team’s 2025/26 point-scoring streak and marked their 134th top-ten result.
Speaking after the race, Dennis said, “Only taking home two Championship points today, which is not what we wanted. We ended up finishing exactly where we started. Of course the plan was to move forward during the race, however, I don’t think we got the strategy right today. We went one of two directions and ultimately ended up on the wrong side of the two choices and paid the price for it in those last six laps. We’ll come back stronger tomorrow and aim to do a better job.”
Drugovich added: “It was a frustrating race because the strategy had potential, but it just didn’t play out our way. From where we started, the late PIT BOOST made sense and we were hoping that the energy we saved would play into our hands at the end of the race. But then we picked up debris in the radiator duct, which pushed the battery temperatures too high and meant I couldn’t fully use the Attack Mode at the end. Without that extra power, it was always going to be difficult to recover positions. There’s still plenty to take from today and we’ll reset quickly and turn our focus on tomorrow.”
Team principal insight
Andretti Formula E’s Team Principal, Roger Griffiths, further explained the team’s Jeddah E-Prix difficulties, linking them to unexpected tire performance, strategic mistakes, and technical issues that affected energy management.
“That’s not the race we had hoped for after a particularly strong showing from the Free Practice sessions, particularly with the No. 27 car [Jake Dennis]. We had high expectations going into Qualifying with both drivers, but changing to a different set of tires on both cars left us scratching our heads as to where that performance went. We’re working with the FIA to see if there’s any potential discrepancies between sets of tires throughout the paddock as currently, we cannot explain the dramatic change in performance,” Grifftihs shared.
“In the race, Jake was able to move forward and thanks to a clean PIT BOOST, brought us out into a strong position for the undercut. In hindsight it may not have been the right move, because it left Jake exposed running in clean air with a train of cars behind him. He ended up doing all the work and towing other cars along, inefficiently spending energy. As a result the early energy advantage we had built soon disappeared and we were struggling to hold on towards the end of the race.”
He continued: “For Felipe’s first PIT BOOST race with us, he was required to manage battery temperatures more than we had anticipated after we discovered some debris inside of the radiator of his car. That ended up having a detrimental impact on his race, so we were unable to progress as we had hoped. We’re going to come back fighting tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be able to turn it around.”
Finding positives in Round 5
Round 5 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit began with promise as Dennis progressed to the qualifying Duals. Despite later missing Pole Position by 0.037 seconds to Edoardo Mortara, his P2 result marked Andretti’s 29th front-row start. While Drugovich started P12 after finishing sixth in Group B.
The team opted for an energy-conservative strategy, with both drivers dropping back in the opening stint, though Dennis stayed in the top five. However, unfortunately, Lap 18 saw the end of Dennis’s race as he suffered a front-left puncture, while Drugovich attempted to save energy and use Attack Mode late. With this strategy, he steadily moved through the field, ultimately finishing just outside the points in P12.
“Qualifying showed the pace we had today and starting from the front row was a great effort by the whole team,” reflected Dennis. “The race was always going to be about energy management and we were in a strong position, saving more energy than those around us and sticking to our plan. Unfortunately, the puncture ended our race at a point where we still had a lot to play for, which is really frustrating. There are positives to take from the performance, but it’s disappointing not to convert that into a result.”
Despite finishing outside the points, Drugovich further focused on the positive aspects: “It was a tough race, but there are some encouraging signs. From where we started, the focus was on saving energy and committing to a late Attack Mode strategy, which allowed us to move forward in the final part of the race. We just fell short of the points, but the progression through the field was positive and I’m still learning a lot with every race. We’ll take what we’ve learned this weekend and work hard to come back stronger in Madrid.”
Griffiths on the final results
The end of the FE Jeddah E-Prix saw Andretti Formula E drop down to seventh in the Teams’ Standings, ending their Season 12 point-scoring streak.
With this, Team Principal Griffiths conclued: “Unfortunately a disappointing race result after a positive qualifying session we Jake just narrowly missed out on pole position. Jake’s race ended prematurely after a puncture while in his first Attack Mode and Felipe equalled his best race finish position, but unfortunately remains outside of the points. It’s a tough learning curve being a rookie in Formula E and this weekend was Felipe’s first opportunity to experience not only energy management, but also battery temperature.”
“There’s still some positives to take but we have a lot to analyze and get our heads around before the next race in Madrid. Thank you to all our friends here in Saudi Arabia who put on an amazing event. It looked like it was well attended and we look forward to coming back again next year – hopefully with a better result.”
