Q&A with CUPRA KIRO Team Principal, Russell O'Hagan

As CUPRA KIRO gears up for the 2025 São Paulo E-Prix – the official starting point of the team’s second season in Formula E – Russell O’Hagan, Team Principal, reflects on a transformative year, a youthful and ambitious driver pairing, and why the team enters the 2025/26 season with intent. 

Q: Kiro Race Co has experienced significant change over the past 12 months. What is the team’s position now, in comparison to 2024?

“The past 12 months have been nothing short of transformational for Kiro Race Co, having navigated a level of change that has influenced and reshaped almost every element of the team. While we have experienced our fair share of challenges, we were very deliberate in our approach which meant that partway through last season, we could transition from the initial ramp-up phase of the project to really targeting performance. Once we established our operational rhythm, we were able to convert our competitiveness into some landmark results, including our first podium, first pole position, and first win.
 
“Naturally, our on-track successes added to our confidence as a team but, perhaps most importantly, they validated the processes that we had put in place. When I look at the journey we’ve navigated, I’m incredibly proud of the resilience and tenacity we have shown over the last few years. The hard work that we have put in means we can hit the ground running immediately this season. Naturally, motorsport is always evolving, and we have a lot more to optimise, but we are unquestionably in a stronger, more stable, and more competitive position than we were 12 months ago.”

Q: In Dan and Pepe, you have a young but very exciting driver lineup. How are they working together this season?

“In Dan and Pepe we have one of the most exciting driver pairings on the grid, and with a combined age of just 46, we also have the youngest. Despite that youth, they’ve developed a complementary and positive dynamic in a very short space of time, which amplifies the already positive feeling we have within the team. Dan is one of the most naturally gifted drivers in Formula E, and he played a pivotal role in our growth last season. After his breakout year, I’m excited to see just how far he can push himself in Season 12. Pepe is also a standout talent in his own right. Yes, he’s new to Formula E, and yes, it will take him some time to acclimatise, especially in a brand-new environment, but what we saw from him at testing was genuinely encouraging. With his speed, character, and dedication, I see a driver who can be a star of tomorrow with genuine long-term potential in our collaboration. I’m confident that he will learn a great deal from Dan, and I’m equally confident that Dan will be pushed forward by Pepe. That blend of youth, talent, and ambition is exactly what we want.”

Q: What are your goals for the 2025/26 season?

“Consistency. Last year we showed how strong we can be on a good day. This season I want us to prove how strong we can be on a bad day, and to focus on how to deliver competitively at each race.  That said, I think we are all in for an incredibly tight season.  We already saw that last year, and in the second season of the GEN3 Evo, the field is only going to condense more. It’s going to be a hugely entertaining year!
 
"With that in mind, we’ve made sure to strengthen Kiro Race Co operationally during the off-season with a number of appointments, and while this has immediate benefits, it has been very much aimed at a long-term strategy over the next four to five seasons to reinforce our long-term positioning and, eventually, our sustained success in Formula E. Naturally, it will take some time for everything to settle but once we find our rhythm, I believe we will find a new, higher gear this season. Taking everything into account, our goal within that is straightforward: build on what we achieved last year, and if we can contend for points and podiums more consistently, then we’ll have taken the step forward we expect from ourselves.”

Q: Formula E recently revealed its GEN4 racing car. What are your thoughts on the package? 

“Everything we are seeing and hearing is hugely promising and hugely exciting. GEN4 looks to be exactly the kind of evolutionary leap it promised to be, and one which could genuinely shift the landscape of the championship. The car is going to be a real beast, a real driver’s car. Anyone who masters it is going to need to be a gladiator and a master tactician at the same time.
 
“Every major sport has a watershed moment – a landmark turning point which alters the trajectory – and GEN4 feels like ours.  As a championship we have such strong sporting, technical, and operational foundations already which means that the transition to an even more demanding and rewarding car to drive will undoubtedly elevate everything it means to be a Formula E driver and team.”