CUPRA KIRO narrowly misses out top 10 in challenging Shanghai weekend
CUPRA KIRO wraps up a challenging Shanghai E-Prix just outside of the top 10 in Race 2
CUPRA KIRO completed a challenging weekend in China finishing just outside of the points at the 2026 Shanghai E-Prix as Dan Ticktum fought forward from 14th to 10th before receiving a post-race penalty in the second race of the double-header event.
In a wet Qualifying session, Pepe Martí secured his first Formula E duel appearance as the third-fastest driver in Group A. He faced Taylor Barnard in the Quarter-Finals and started from sixth while Dan lined up 14th as a result of an earlier three-place grid penalty.
Due to wet conditions, the race was started behind the Safety Car and when action got underway on lap four, Pepe activated his first Attack Mode to move up to fourth. As the first Attack Mode cycled throughout the field, and adapting to changing conditions, Pepe dropped back o 13th to conserve energy before moving up to 12th with a late Attack Mode deployment on lap 26 of 28.
An off-track moment in Turn 6 saw Dan fall to 16th on lap four and after moving back up to 13th, the Briton activated his first Attack Mode on lap 16. He used the extra power to battle up to seventh and took his second deployment in the closing stages, although this overlapped with a late Full Course Yellow which limited his progress. After finishing 10th at the line, Dan received a penalty post-race to narrowly miss out on a points finish.
Dan Ticktum, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“A pretty tough weekend overall. Strategy-wise, we’ve taken a step forward but today, we didn’t predict the outcome of the race correctly. I think we could have had some good results here in Shanghai, but I’m hopeful we can do better in Tokyo and London – both tracks where I think we’ll be fast.”
Pepe Martí, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“Unbeknownst that there was ever a possibility of having worse luck than we did yesterday, today happened. During the Safety Car start we burned through a lot of energy which resulted in me not really being able to overtake with my first Attack Mode. We then had to run to high energy-saving targets which meant that, instead of having to do the race with one hand tied behind my back, I had to do it with both tied. There wasn’t much we could do to move forward. Looking back, there was an opportunity with the track conditions but understanding the weather at a circuit where the humidity is so high can be difficult and we just went the wrong way. In terms of pace, I think this was one of my best weekends in Formula E so far, so it really sucks to not get any points out of the weekend. We have Tokyo coming up, which looks like a good track, and I’m hoping for a good result there.”
Russell O’Hagan, Team Principal, CUPRA KIRO
“We started the day well with strong Qualifying pace in the wet conditions with both cars with a great first duels appearance for Pepe, and frustration for Dan who was compromised by traffic on his critical final lap. Ultimately, it was the weather that became the defining factor in the race, with a real mix of strategies and setups being used relative to how each team and driver expected the weather to play out, and in how quickly the track could dry in the absence of rain. We got slightly on the wrong side of the predictions, and although we adapted, maybe it just wasn’t quickly enough. Coming away without any points is frustrating and doesn’t reflect a lot of the positives we had across the weekend. A big thank you to the team and drivers for the hard work across the full weekend and we look forward to better results in Tokyo in a few weeks. We head there with confidence and clear ambition – we want to finish the season strongly.”
