CUPRA KIRO's Pepe Martí secures first Formula E podium at 2026 Monaco E-Prix
CUPRA KIRO shows promise in the Principality as Pepe Martí fights from 15th to third to take maiden Formula E podium at the 2026 Monaco E-Prix
CUPRA KIRO driver, Pepe Martí, secured his first Formula E podium at the 2026 Monaco E-Prix, with the Spanish rookie battling from 15th to third while the American squad showed immense promise in the Principality.
Showing competitive pace in practice, Dan Ticktum stormed to the second pole position of his Formula E career in Qualifying, defeating Pascal Wehrlein, Maximilian Günther, and Nyck De Vries in the duel stages to start from the front.
In the race, Dan drove a measured first stint to maintain the lead and after slipping to second – after getting overtaken by Antonio Felix da Costa with Attack Mode – took Pit Boost on lap 18 and rejoined in fourth. The Briton then activated Attack Mode on lap 21, worked his way up to third, and after finishing in the podium positions, received a drive-through penalty which was converted to a 33-second time penalty post-race following a collision with Da Costa.
After qualifying 15th, Pepe made quiet progress during the opening phase of the race and entered the top 10 on lap 13. The 20-year-old, after climbing to fourth, took a late Pit Boost to rejoin in sixth and used Attack Mode to overtake Sebastien Buemi and Felipe Drugovich. Pepe finished fourth at the flag and was promoted to third following Dan’s penalty to become the first Spanish driver to finish on the Formula E podium.
Pepe Martí, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“Today is my first podium in Formula E and I’m very happy with the result, but it hurts to know that Dan missed out on the top three after the incident. All in all, taking my first podium in the series feels good, and there’s no better place to do it than in Monaco. With Dan starting from pole and me moving up from 15th to third today, the car has been on fire so far this weekend. A better performance in Qualifying would make our lives slightly easier tomorrow, but the main goal is to find more consistency, fight for another top five finish, and hopefully maintain that throughout the second half of the season.”
Dan Ticktum, Driver, CUPRA KIRO
“It’s hard to accept today but either way, we have the chance to go again tomorrow. We know that the pace is strong, and I’m going to give it my all.”
Russell O’Hagan, Team Principal, CUPRA KIRO
“Overall, it’s been a competitive opening day for us here in Monaco, with Dan delivering an exceptional performance in Qualifying and Pepe producing a strong recovery drive to secure his first Formula E podium. Ever since last season, Monaco has felt like a special circuit for us because it was the first place where we truly showed our potential as a team, so there was a lot of anticipation coming into the weekend. The pace we showed in practice was encouraging and Dan was outstanding in Qualifying to start from pole. In the race, we chose to lead from the start despite the risk around efficiency and it ultimately came down to pace during the pit window. We were missing some pace compared to the rest of the top three, but Dan fought back well and we’re frustrated by and don’t agree with the penalty following the contact with Antonio. Knowing Dan, he’ll channel his frustration positively tomorrow – he’s incredibly determined, and we all know what he’s capable of achieving. For Pepe, today represents a very special moment, and although inheriting a podium because of a penalty is never the ideal way to experience it, the reality is that he absolutely earned his place in the top three. Fighting from 15th to the podium in Monaco takes composure, intelligence, and confidence and since joining the team, he’s shown all three in abundance. It always felt like a matter of not if, but when, he would finish on the podium and to do it here in Monaco is a fantastic achievement.”
