Formula E: Andretti Hoping to Get a Win at Home in Miami

Andretti is a powerhouse motorsports brand across North America, and will want to win in front of home fans in Miami.

Formula E Miami E-Prix: Jake Dennis and Andretti Ready to Bounce Back

Andretti have not had the best start to season 11 of Formula E with a DNF in Sao Paulo and the first race in Jeddah for  Jake Dennis.

Similarly, Nico Mueller has only finished in the points once with a P9 finish in the first race in Jeddah.

These poor performances from both drivers show they are keen to score points regularly and wish to avoid not finishing a race.

Also, Andretti will want to get their first podium of the season as they have just been out of grasp with two P4 finishes.

In the past, Mueller scored 18 points in the Season 10 Portland E-Prix doubleheader weekend. This means that he will need to continue this great performance in North America at a track he hasn’t raced at before.

If the Swiss driver scores one point at the Miami E-Prix, he will reach 100 Formula E career points.

Certainly, this will be extra motivation for Mueller to achieve this accomplishment at home for Andretti.

“We’ve spent a great deal of time since the last race analyzing and understanding why both cars struggled to extract the performance from the package, particularly in qualifying, and I think we’ll be coming back much stronger in Miami.

“We’ve learned lots of valuable lessons, and now it’s time to convert those learnings into some good results, starting in Miami. The E-Prix will be the first Formula E race with oval banking, which will be an exciting feature of the weekend.

“I’ve raced Daytona before, so I have some understanding of how it will feel, but time will tell if that experience will help me when we get out to Miami.

“Nevertheless, it’s still going to be a cool experience, and I can’t wait to get going. Having the U.S. as the team’s home race is also going to be new for me.

“Andretti is such an iconic name in the world of motorsport, so having a home race as an Andretti driver will be a very special opportunity. Let’s hope we can make the Andretti fans proud when we get to Miami!” – Nico Mueller speaking to Andretti.

Dennis Wants to Enter the Drivers’ Championship Fight

Dennis has finished in points-scoring positions in all of his last five race appearances in the United States. This conveys that he performs well at home for Andretti, not letting the extra pressure affect his racing.

If Dennis scores seven points in Miami, he will reach 600 Formula E career points.

Similar to Mueller, this accomplishment will motivate Dennis to continue to break records in this all-electric motorsport.

The Season 9 Driver’s World Champion set the fastest lap ever recorded in Formula E at the time at the 2023 Portland E-Prix. Therefore, Dennis will desire to have an excellent performance in qualifying to avoid having to overtake too many cars.

The Briton did not score for Andretti in Sao Paulo – despite being first in the final practice – due to a technical issue on lap 20.

Subsequently, Dennis finished P20 in the first race in Jeddah after poor energy management and strategy. For these reasons, the Andretti driver will be determined to gain valuable points in Miami and climb up the drivers’ standings.

“Although we had to fight our way from the back of the field last time out in Jeddah, a strong points finish reinforces the confidence we have in our race package.

That said, I’m feeling positive that we’ve rectified our qualifying issues for Miami and that we can start the race in a much better position.

We’ve got a solid track record racing in the U.S., and with Miami being a home race for the team, it’s always good to keep performing at a high level.

Homestead-Miami Speedway is a brand-new track for everybody, so there’s a great deal of unknowns, but I’m confident that we’ll have a good race car no matter what.

It’s always great to have a home race, especially in the United States for the team; it’s a pretty surreal experience.

There’s a lot of passionate people not only supporting Andretti but also working here, so to deliver a strong result always means a lot.

Hopefully, we can come out on top!” – Jake Dennis.

The Return to Miami for the First Time Since Season 1 of Formula E

Formula E returns to Miami for the first time since 2015, replacing Portland this season as Andretti’s only home race.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway is a legendary venue that has hosted NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA. The original track has been slightly modified for Formula E by blending technical corners with high-speed sections.

Progressive banking is prevalent from turns 14-15 to turn 1 as a long straight, as well as at turns 9-10 for a short section. In addition, this race marks the first time in Formula E history that drivers will race on a section of an oval.

Andretti have a rich history of success at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with wins from Michael Andretti, Jeff Andretti and Dan Wheldon.

Moreover, Andretti’s Jean-Éric Vergne got pole position in Miami and teammate Scott Speed made his series debut at this circuit in 2015.

This suggests that the American team have an advantage over other teams due to their vast experience and impressive results in motorsport.

Furthermore, Andretti are the only team to have scored over 20 points in all four American cities that Formula E has visited throughout the last 11 seasons.

The American team have claimed six podiums in the United States and have scored points in all but two of the team’s home races.

All these amazing stats imply that the team is especially excellent at performing in the US, no matter the track or driver.

“First off, we’re super excited to be racing once again in our home country.

We kicked off our Season 1 success in Miami with Scott Speed’s second-place finish, and we’re aiming to extend our positive track record in the state of Florida.

Homestead-Miami Speedway may be new for Formula E, but it’s a track that the Andretti organization knows extremely well from other categories having raced and tested there on plenty of occasions in the past.

From a technological perspective, the difference racing in Miami a decade on will be night and day to that of Season 1.

During our first visit to Florida, we were still trying to understand all of the intricacies of an electric racing car, and the technology was in its very early days during the 2015 Miami E-Prix, whereas today it is one of the pinnacle motorsport categories globally and has rightfully received World Championship status.

Returning to Miami, the cars are dramatically faster, have the ability to run all-wheel drive and twice the amount of power in race mode.

Though, some things are remarkably the same; a grid of world-class drivers, the highly-competitive nature and a few familiar faces from Season 1 still in the paddock.

I think the fans are going to be very impressed by the latest generation of Formula E cars, and we’re so very excited to be racing in front of our home fans.” – Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths.

Miami E-Prix: Weekend Schedule

Andretti and the rest of the grid are set for an exciting race at a new track for a majority of the current drivers.

Racing begins on April 11 with FP1, where all 22 drivers will explore the characteristics of the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

A majority of the action is on April 12, with FP2, qualifying, and the race all in the same day.

It is a busy weekend for several motorsports with F1, F2, F3, IMSA, MotoGP, Formula E and IndyCar racing all around the world.

BST TIME

11/04

9:30 PM – 10:25 PM: Free Practice 1

12/04

12:30 PM – 1:25 PM: Free Practice 2

2:40 PM – 4:03 PM: Qualifying

7:05 PM – 8:00 PM: Race