RACE REPORT: 2025 Hankook Berlin E-Prix II
Race Notes
- Following yesterday’s rain-soaked first race of the doubleheader weekend, Round 14 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship began this morning with wet conditions in Free Practice 3. Fortunately, conditions dried for Qualifying as both Andretti Formula E drivers were split across the two groups.
- Jake Dennis looked to be a strong prospect to advance to the Duels, but a red flag suspended the session as the Brit attempted his final push lap and was consequently unable to improve his time and make it out of Group A. On the other side of the garage, teammate Nico Mueller made it into the Duels for the first time with the Indianapolis-based squad, achieving his best start with the team in sixth place.
- As the race began, Dennis dropped back three places to under-consume energy for a late attack through the field of the peloton style race. In an energy-saving masterclass with greatly timed Attack Modes, the British driver was able to carve his way through the field from the back to secure his second podium finish of Season 11, taking the checkered in second.
- Dennis’s second-place finish marked Andretti Formula E’s 39th podium and 63rd top-five finish in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
- On the other side of the garage, teammate Mueller stayed with the lead pack as they battled for positions but was unlucky to suffer a puncture on Lap 23 after being hit from behind by NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird. After catching the pack under Safety Car conditions, the No. 51 driver put in an impressive recovery drive to cross the finish line in eighth and score. Unfortunately, a post-race penalty for causing a collision with Bird demoted Mueller out of the points.
- The 2025 Hankook Berlin E-Prix II saw a total of two Safety Car periods, resulting in three added laps to the race.
Race Results
Jake Dennis
No. 27 Andretti Porsche 99X Electric
P2
| Started | P16 |
| Standings | P10 (77 points) |
Qualifying
- Dennis was fast all session and was pushing hard on his final flying lap in Group A of Qualifying, securing a purple sector one. However, mid-way through the Brit’s lap, Maserati MSG Racing’s Jake Hughes made contact with the Turn 2 barriers. Consequently, the session was red-flagged with Dennis’ chances of improving denied.
Race
- Dennis began the E-Prix with an energy-saving strategy, dropping to the rear of the field. At the halfway mark, the Brit was able to save enough energy to be up five percent on energy to all the cars ahead and consequently took his Attack Modes to make his way through the field.
- Coming from 20th in the field, Dennis was able to make his way up to fourth before taking his second Attack Mode late on, ensuring his second-place podium finish in Berlin
- The Brit’s second-place finish marks his 23rd podium, 35th top-five and 48th top-10 finish in his Formula E career with Andretti.
“Super ecstatic to finally get back on the podium after what’s been somewhat of a difficult weekend. Full credit to the team for giving me such a good racecar and strategy today; then it was just down to me to execute the plan as well as I possibly could, and I think we did the absolute maximum. I’d also like to say a massive congratulations to Oliver [Rowland] for winning the Driver’s Championship.”
Nico Mueller
No. 51 Andretti Porsche 99X Electric
P17
| Started | P6 |
| Standings | P15 (48 points) |
Qualifying
- Mueller took part in Group B Qualifying, gambling with a mid-session stop in the pits to make some adjustments, which subsequently paid off when the Swiss driver made it into the Duel stages.
- The No. 51 lost out to TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein in the Quarter Final Duel, though he was able to secure his best starting position with Andretti Formula E with a fifth-place qualifying result.
- Mueller’s progression marked his eighth Duel appearance of his Formula E career and his first since Season 10, Round 15 (2024 London E-Prix I).
Race
- Starting the race from his best grid position with the Andretti Formula E team, Mueller battled with the lead pack to remain in the top six during the opening phase of the E-Prix.
- On Lap 23, McLaren’s Bird made contact with the rear left of the No. 51 at Turn 2, causing a puncture. After pitting for a new tire, Mueller made a solid recovery drive from the back of the grid and utilized his late Attack Modes to ensure a points-paying finish, taking the checkered flag in eighth.
- Unfortunately, a post-race penalty demoted Mueller to the back of the field after it was deemed that the No. 51 had caused the Turn 2 collision with Bird.
“It was a positive day up until the incident. We delivered a strong qualifying, made the right calls and it paid off with a top-five starting position. The race was shaping out well and we were fighting in the lead group and looking strong for a good result. Unfortunately, after the contact with Sam [Bird], we picked up a puncture, and even though we fought back to finish in the points, the post-race penalty ended that. I respect the Stewards decision and definitely didn’t want Sam‘s race to end there, but it was an optimistic move from him resulting in very minor contact with unfortunately relatively large consequences. Still, there are a lot of positives to take from today, and we’ll bounce back in London.”
Roger Griffiths
Team Principal
“After a difficult day yesterday for the No. 27 car, it was great to bounce back with a super smart strategy in the race following a disappointing qualifying. The timing of the red flag in Qualifying was super unfortunate for Jake, but we went into the race knowing what the plan was, and the execution from both the team and driver’s side was excellent. The joy that everybody showed from being back on the podium is what this team is all about – it’s a huge uplift for everybody going into the last two races in London.
Nico had a strong qualifying, and the team was really pleased for him. He had a great start to the race, but he got tangled up with Sam [Bird]. Fortunately, the team was able to recover well with a clean pit stop, allowing Nico to stay on the lead lap. From there, we maximized the Attack Mode usage, but to get penalized at the end is pretty tough. We certainly didn’t feel that Nico was the driver at fault, but that’s what the Stewards decided, and we must respect that. It’s tough to swallow when we felt that we were in the right, but we move on and turn our focus to London, where we’ll be aiming to close out the season as strong as possible. We’ve got some opportunities to move up some places in both the Team’s and the Driver’s Championships, so that’s what we’re going to be fully focused on. We’ll also aim to continue contributing to Porsche’s Manufacturer aspirations as well.”
