CUPRA KIRO shows podium pace in London
CUPRA KIRO shows podium potential in London after running at the sharp end of the field in the penultimate race of the 2025/26 Formula E season
CUPRA KIRO secured a sixth place finish in Race 1 of the 2026 London E-Prix, with Dan Ticktum narrowly missing out on the top three after being in podium contention across the afternoon.
In Qualifying, Dan progressed to the duels from Group A and defeated Jake Dennis in the Quarter-Finals. He started from fourth while team-mate, Pepe Martí, lined up in 15th.
Come the race, Dan held fourth off the line and maintained the position during the opening phase while successfully building an energy advantage on the leaders. The pit window opened on lap 15 and Dan pushed to take Attack Mode on lap 18 before taking Pit Boost under Full Course Yellow conditions – which eliminated his advantage of extra power – on lap 21.
Pepe, meanwhile, moved up to 14th on the opening lap and extended his first stint to assume the lead before eventually taking his Pit Boost at the end of lap 26. The Spaniard rejoined the race in 14th and activated Attack Mode on lap 34 but retired following contact with Jean-Eric Vergne in the closing stages.
Further ahead, Dan, who had rejoined in second place following his Pit Boost, was locked in an intense podium battle with Jake Dennis and Antonio Felix da Costa. Struggling a little with grip and with a slight energy disadvantage to his competitors, he eventually slipped off the podium on lap 34 and ultimately finished sixth following late contact with Edoardo Mortara.
Dan Ticktum, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“We had a good start to the race today. Overall, I think the strategy was good from the team, and I think we did a good job. After the Attack Mode finished, I was slightly down on energy, and I was struggling with tyre temperatures which was impacting my traction on corner exits. Because the track is quite start-stop, there’s a noticeable concertina effect so when the traction is poor, it incentivises other drivers to attack. Realistically, I think fourth or fifth was possible before the contact with Edo, but we’ll regroup and go again tomorrow.”
Pepe Martí, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“It hasn’t been the best race weekend so far. I struggled a lot in FP1 yesterday and struggled a bit in FP2 this morning but managed to turn things around for Qualifying where we were quite strong. Unfortunately, I almost put the car in the wall in Turn 19 which cost me four tenths. In the race we missed out on being able to pit under the Full Course Yellow, which effectively ended our shot at a strong result. In the second half we were in a good position to fight for ninth and potentially eighth and it was a shame to miss out. We can turn things around for tomorrow and I want to end the season on a high.”
Russell O’Hagan, Team Principal, CUPRA KIRO
“Today was a slightly disappointing result, however, there are plenty of positives for us to take into tomorrow. As we expected, the car is competitive at the ExCeL, and Dan did a great job in Qualifying to put himself firmly into podium contention for race. The second Full Course Yellow came at a very unfortunate time, overlapping with our Attack Mode, but we were able to adapt quickly and made the decision to pit during the neutralisation to minimise the overall time loss. In the final stages, we were marginally down on energy with Dan, and in Formula E, the smallest of deficits can make a big difference. It’s frustrating to miss out on the podium when it was within reach, but the pace was there, the team and Dan delivered well, and we have another opportunity tomorrow. Pepe was also on course for a potential top 10 today, but after the misfortune with the Pit Boost stop outside of the caution period, it was always going to be difficult for him to make further progress. We have one race left this season and tomorrow is our final opportunity to deliver on the potential we’ve shown. We’re ready to give it everything so we can finish the year on a high!”
