Jake Dennis of Avalanche Andretti won the 2023 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix with an utterly dominant drive, moving from second place to first. He was followed by Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein and Mahindra Racing’s Lucas di Grassi in the first race of Formula E’s new GEN3 era.
The victory was celebrated by the large crowd at the Foro Sol, including 40,000 enthusiastic Mexican fans who came to witness the start of the latest generation of Formula E. Dennis made the decisive move on Lap 12, capitalizing on an opportunity created by di Grassi.
After taking the lead, Dennis extended his advantage and maintained it despite three Safety Car periods. He ultimately crossed the finish line with a significant seven-second lead over Wehrlein. Wehrlein also had a strong performance, as the reigning champion of the Mexico City race appears to thrive in the city’s afternoon sun. He was able to secure a final 11-second margin over third-place finisher di Grassi, despite starting from sixth on the grid.
Di Grassi started the race with Julius Baer Pole Position, but found himself under pressure from the two-thirds mark of the race. He had slightly less usable energy compared to the drivers around him, and it took all of his skill to fend off the advances of NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes during the final stages. Hughes, however, was eventually occupied with defending against Lotterer, who was closing in behind him, which gave di Grassi some relief. Lotterer, known for his aggressive driving style, was not content with finishing in fifth place and seized the opportunity to pass Hughes at the hairpin on the last lap, as he switched to the Porsche-powered Andretti team over the off-season.
Hughes, a rookie, was not disappointed with his fifth-place finish in his debut race. He had impressed since his first test with McLaren in Valencia. He was followed by a resurgent Sebastien Buemi, who had moved from Nissan to Envision Racing during the winter and was performing well again.
Season 6 champion Antonio Felix da Costa added to Porsche’s success with a seventh-place finish, moving up through the points-paying positions during the race using his ATTACK MODE. Mitch Evans secured points with an eighth-place finish for Jaguar TCS Racing, while Nick Cassidy earned a point for Envision Racing with his ninth-place finish. Reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne, however, could only manage a single point from his 14th starting position with his DS PENSKE. To top it off, Dennis also secured the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap award. This victory means Andretti Racing has now won the first race in both the GEN2 and GEN3 eras of Formula E.
Formula E is back in a fortnight with a double-header – a pair of night races in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on 27 & 28 January.
