CUPRA KIRO gets Formula E season underway at São Paulo E-prix
CUPRA KIRO shows encouraging pace in dramatic season-opening 2025 São Paulo E-Prix
CUPRA KIRO kick-started its second season in Formula E with the 2025 São Paulo E-Prix, with drivers Dan Ticktum and Pepe Martí showing clear promise in Brazil.
The American team showed strong pace in Qualifying, with Dan progressing through the duels to start from second while rookie, Pepe, ranked an encouraging 14th on debut.
Dan picked up a left-rear puncture on the opening lap after getting rear ended by Nyck De Vries in Turn One. After pitting for repairs, the Briton later retired.
Pepe used his first Attack Mode to battle into the top 10 and, up on energy and as one of only three drivers with a second activation available, he was on course for a strong points finish. Unfortunately, a high-speed incident at the start of the final caution period put the Spanish racer out on the spot in dramatic fashion.
Dan Ticktum, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“The guys put the car in a great window for practice and Qualifying. I felt very comfortable right off the bat. Me and Pascal [Wehrlein] were in the same duel in the Semi-Finals so it was always going to be close, but we were pretty competitive and started second in the race. As I’ve said before, there’s a lot of luck involved at this track and unfortunately, I had none of it today. I got given a puncture by [Nyck] De Vries at the start, who then subsequently crashed into his own team-mate but didn’t get a penalty. So there’s that… I then had to come into the pits to change the tyre, but the jack failed which cost us some more time. When I pulled away on stone cold tyres, I had some wheelspin and received a drive-through. Not my day today, but the promising thing is that we’re stronger here than we were last season, and it seems like our hard work is paying off. The car was in a great window today, and I’m sure that we’ll carry that forward into other races this year.”
Pepe Martí, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“We were on for a good result today. We didn’t do FP1 yesterday and this morning, I broke the wishbone at the start of practice but despite that, I think we turned the weekend around well. We were looking really good before the accident, and with the energy advantage and extra Attack Mode, could have easily finished inside the top five. I want to say sorry to the team for how our race ended. It was a scary shunt, but I’m all ok and that’s all thanks to the FIA. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car in Mexico City.”
Russell O’Hagan, Team Principal, CUPRA KIRO
“It’s been an encouraging but certainly challenging start to the season here in São Paulo. First and foremost, Pepe is okay after what was a huge accident. Incidents of that scale are always a reminder of the risks in our sport and make us extremely grateful for the safety standards we have in-place in modern motorsport. It was a real shame as Pepe had been driving a very composed, very competitive race, with decent points looking possible – an impressive showing for his first race. For Dan, his pace today was exceptional. His effort in Qualifying deserved so much more from the race. Unfortunately, the contact in Turn 1 ended any chance of the result we knew he was capable of which is frustrating. But we can take immense confidence from his early form, and now, we can only come back stronger for Mexico City.”
