Ahead of the double header at the Berlin E-Prix, The Girls Who – Motorsport spoke with CUPRA KIRO driver Dan Ticktum about his goals heading into this weekend. With an unlucky start to his season, Ticktum looks to the double header as a way to maximise points and move up in the championship.
Reflecting on His Season
The British driver’s start to the season has been an unfortunate one. As he closely missed out on crucial points multiple times. Reflecting on his start, Ticktum admits that ”I didn’t have the greatest start of the year, unfortunately, not through any fault of my own.” A clear frustration from the Brit as he realises that he has the pace but is being held back by situations beyond his control.
The CUPRA KIRO driver admits that because of his unfortunate luck, he has been forced into an “uphill battle“ to recover missed points. Despite this, Ticktum remains optimistic in his recovery and continues to be resilient in his outlook in the championship battle. Ahead of the Berlin E-Prix, he celebrates how well the team performs at such a unique circuit.
A Possible Turning Point in Berlin
Looking forward to the race start, Ticktum claims that the team ”always been pretty competitive here”. While external factors may pay tribute to results, as ”the races are quite chaotic” the team still has pace in his eyes. The return of Pit Boost and the track being at a warm temperature might also invite new opportunities. The potential shift he needs to continue his climb up from 11th place in the championship standings.
Under these opportunities Ticktum highlights his goals for the weekend clearly: ”claw back those points I missed out on”. Despite the Pit Boost returning this weekend, Ticktum has his eyes set on a different strategy mode. ‘‘ATTACK MODE is incredibly powerful at the moment,” he explains. The only challenge with this is getting the timing right in the fast race.
The Weather: An Advantage or Disadvantage
Ahead of the Berlin, Ticktum offered an insight into the challenges that the drivers will face with the weather change in Berlin. Berlin, traditionally, is a track that has cool conditions, often with rain; however, this season, we have warmer conditions.
The 26-year-old explains that ”time management will be quite a big factor this weekend.” He adds that because of the temperature, the tyres are very ‘‘asymmetric“. Further describing it as, “The rear right gets very hot and the rear left doesn’t have much energy at all, which can be difficult to manage.”
Ticktum places emphasis on how tyre behaviour could really determine these race. Feeling anxious about this, he explains that the current CUPRA KIRO isn’t ‘‘too strong on traction”. This is a problem that he and the team struggle with towards the end of the race. Due to the technical complexity of Formula E, traction is needed on a track like Berlin. It ensure that drivers are finishing the race and are able to overtake. With thermal degradation being a likely issue, Ticktum hopes to ”manage it the best that he can”.
Looking Forward to GEN4
Formula E remains a sport that is ever-growing, with a constant increase in fan participation as the sport evolves. With the GEN4 era approaching next season, Ticktum believes the sport is heading in the right direction. Not only for the drivers and teams, but fans too. He explains, ”I think it’s a big step for the championship; it’s a big step in the right direction.”