CUPRA KIRO experiences challenging Race 2 in Berlin
CUPRA KIRO completes double-header 2026 Berlin E-Prix, experiencing a promising yet challenging afternoon in the German capital
CUPRA KIRO narrowly missed out on a points finish in Race 2 of the double-header 2026 Berlin E-Prix, with drivers, Pepe Martí and Dan Ticktum, placing 12th and 14th at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit.
Having made the strategic decision to intentionally start the race from the back of the grid, both CUPRA KIRO drivers limited their running in Qualifying to further optimise potential by preserving tyre life.
Both driver strategies were built on heavy energy-saving at the start of the race, with ultimate the goal of building a positive energy offset before moving forwards.
The plan worked well initially, with both Dan and Pepe accruing the desired advantage before starting to advance on lap 12, but unfortunately, the progress made at 300kW was less than hoped, with the team instead needing to rely on Attack Mode to make further progress.
Dan used his first Attack Mode to move into the top 10 and took his second activation on lap 28 while Pepe, after advancing to 12th with his first deployment, took his final Attack Mode on lap 31 of 37 with the goal of fighting into the points.
As the Attack Mode phase evolved, Dan and Pepe unfortunately lost ground, with Dan finishing 14th while Pepe placed 12th, with CUPRA KIRO’s focus now switching to the 2026 Monaco E-Prix on 16-17 May.
Dan Ticktum, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“We got the strategy right by starting from the back today, but once the tyres overheated, we didn’t have any grip. Unfortunately, Tempelhof is one of the worst tracks for managing tyre temperatures and I don’t think there’s much more we could have done. It’s disappointing, but I have faith that we’ll have more pace in Monaco and that we should be able to score some good points.”
Pepe Martí, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“Today was one of those days that you never want to exist. We had the right strategy and when the time came to move forwards, I was presented with the opportunity to either survive and attack again on the next lap or get taken out. I chose to survive today and ended up with a clean, intact car but came away without any points so I don’t know if I’ll change my approach for the next time we have a pack race. It was an unfortunate race, but right now, we’re moving in the right direction, the team is doing a great job, the strategy is always good, and the pace over one lap is definitely there. We’ll regroup to try and get points in Monaco.”
Russell O’Hagan, Team Principal, CUPRA KIRO
“The pace was there this weekend, and that’s what makes today such a tough result to take. Given how energy sensitive Tempelhof is, we committed to a very strategic energy saving phase early in the race with the aim of building an energy advantage over the cars around us, and both Dan and Pepe executed that plan very well. After the opening phase, we had a significant buffer compared to the leaders and we were in a strong position to fight forwards. We struggled to advance in the 300kW race mode and were forced to rely on Attack Mode to make progress, but it left us short of our targets. It’s disappointing to come away without points today, especially after the promise we showed across the weekend, but there are always positives we can take. Pepe secured another top 10 finish yesterday, and Dan demonstrated genuine podium potential, so we know the performance is there. We now have a very short turnaround before Monaco and today is a race that will take some time to unpick, but we’ll dust ourselves off quickly, regroup, and try to deliver what we know we’re capable of.”
