Sanya E-Prix: Jake Dennis takes pole, Felipe Drugovich completes Andretti front-row lockout

The grid is set for Saturday's Sanya E-Prix after Andretti's Jake Dennis claimed his first pole position of the season. Andretti secured a significant advantage as teammate Felipe Drugovich finished second in qualifying to join Dennis on the front row.

However, the competition is expected to be intense as current championship leader Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing qualified third.

Jake Dennis takes pole in Sanya E-Prix qualifying

After celebrating his 31st birthday on the simulator while preparing for the Sanya E-Prix, Andretti's Jake Dennis secured pole position with an impressive performance in qualifying. He has continued to be one of the quickest drivers in Sanya, having finished second and third in FP1 and FP2, respectively.With teammate Felipe Drugovich joining him on the front row, Andretti secured its first-ever front-row lockout in Formula E. Drugovich ended Dan Ticktum's qualifying run, giving Dennis the advantage at Turn 4.

Dan Ticktum once again came close to securing pole position but ultimately lost out to Dennis as they approached the finish line. He eventually qualified fourth. The Cupra Kiro driver arrived in Sanya after claiming back-to-back pole positions at the Monaco E-Prix double-header, although he was unable to convert either into a podium.

DS Penske's Taylor Barnard qualified fifth, followed by Mahindra Racing's Nyck de Vries in sixth. Citroen Racing's Nick Cassidy took seventh place on the grid.Pascal Wehrlein, who topped the second free practice session (FP2) earlier in the day, qualified eighth. He was followed by Envision Racing drivers Joel Eriksson and Sebastien Buemi in ninth and tenth, respectively.Mahindra Racing's Edoardo Mortara, who topped FP1 and finished second in FP2, ended up qualifying 12th.

Meanwhile, reigning champion Oliver Rowland took 11th, while the last Sanya E-Prix winner, Jean-Eric Vergne, qualified 15th.

Drivers gear up for a scorching Sanya E-Prix

The Sanya E-Prix gets underway at 3:05 pm local time (12:35 pm IST).According to AccuWeather, there is only a slight chance of rain, although the possibility cannot be ruled out. The drivers have already been struggling with the summer heat in Sanya, and the race is expected to be particularly demanding, with temperatures forecast to reach around 34°C at race time. The RealFeel temperature is expected to soar to 44°C.Also read: Behind the scenes: How 332 local marshals helped rebuild Sanya street circuit for Formula E's return