CUPRA KIRO shows speed in challenging London E-Prix
CUPRA KIRO shows promise in the face of a challenging afternoon at London's ExCeL Circuit
CUPRA KIRO experienced a challenging run in the penultimate round of the 2024/25 Formula E season after showing promise but ultimately missing out on points in London.
The American squad showed good pace in Qualifying as Dan Ticktum progressed to the Semi-Finals to start from fourth while David Beckmann lined up 13th after narrowly missing out on the duels by 0.157 seconds.
In a strategic, track position-led race, Dan remained inside the top 10 throughout but crashed out while battling forward after taking his second Attack Mode.
David opted to take Attack Mode early to run as high as third and used his final deployment to fight up the order but unfortunately missed out on points, finishing 12th.
Quotes at a Glance
Alex Hui: “We’ll come back for the final race of the season, ready to give it absolutely everything.”
Dan Ticktum: “It was a bit a nightmare race for us.”
David Beckmann: “Tomorrow, the goal is to start inside the top 10.”
Russell O'Hagan: “We had to walk a very fine line.”
Alex Hui, Team Principal, CUPRA KIRO
“In every season, there comes a race which tests everything – patience, execution, and your ability to respond in fluid circumstances. In Qualifying we showed strong pace, with Dan making it through to the Semi-Finals and David only just missing out on the duels which put us in a promising position. The race itself was heavily shaped by track position and timing. Dan was right in the mix from the start, and it was frustrating to see his race end early after such a strong showing. David drove a smart, strategic race, and while 12th doesn’t come with points, it reflects just how close the margins were today. It’s a tough one to take but we’ll regroup tonight, reset, and come back for the final race of the season, ready to give it absolutely everything.”
Dan Ticktum, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“Firstly, I’m really sorry for Mitch [Evans] – I just misjudged my braking when defending with [Jake] Dennis on the outside. It was a bit a nightmare race for us, and we were very unlucky in the pit window. I had [Nick] Cassidy in front of me, and everyone behind was over-consuming which meant that they could pit earlier. They all undercut me, so we were very unlucky from a strategy point of view. I’m also sorry to the team. I messed up the move on [Sam] Bird going into Turn 9. I just misjudged it slightly.”
David Beckmann, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“Today we started from 13th and Qualifying could have been better, but it also could have been worse. We had a good start to the race, but I think we took Pit Boost a bit too late. When I rejoined the circuit, I was with other drivers who were fighting which was very inefficient. It wasn’t the race we expected, but the ExCeL is a very technical track and I think there’s still a lot of time that I can gain. Tomorrow, the goal is to start inside the top 10. We expect it will be a slower race, and defending will be crucial.”
Russell O’Hagan, Chief Operating Officer, CUPRA KIRO
“Today was a complex race that we are still unpicking. With the strategy, we had to walk a very fine line between holding position and defending from other drivers who had taken Pit Boost early and used Attack Mode to try the undercut. Ultimately, we lost a couple of places during this phase, but we were still on for a top eight finish. We’ll debrief the race tonight and come back stronger so we can maximise tomorrow.”
