Dan Ticktum responds to Cupra Kiro reprimand: ‘I am a human being’

Dan Ticktum has addressed the second formal reprimand issued by Cupra Kiro, arguing that the situation is more nuanced than simply being portrayed as poor behaviour as he heads into the Sanya E-Prix weekend.

Monaco flashpoint intensified Cupra Kiro tensions

Ticktum’s latest reprimand relates to his conduct at various points across the first 10 completed rounds, with tensions reaching their lowest point in Monaco. After the first race, he left the circuit immediately following a post-race 33-second time penalty — the equivalent of a drive-through — and missed his media duties.

There has been little doubt over Ticktum’s raw pace in Formula E, underlined by his double pole in the Principality. But this season has also been marked by poor results that, for the most part, he says have come through factors beyond his control. The broader Formula E context in Sanya is also significant, with the championship moving into another key phase, as detailed in our guide to the 2026 Sanya E-Prix schedule and start time.

Ticktum accepts need for greater professionalism

Speaking to the press, Ticktum said the reprimand can appear misleading without context.

“Yeah, I think when you read it without much context, it just sounds like I’ve been a naughty boy, but I don’t think it’s necessarily down to that,” he said.

“There’s a few things that the team haven’t been happy with, just a general lack of professionalism in a couple of areas. Things like wearing team kit all the time and stuff like that, which, a lot of the time, I regard as very trivial.

“But, at the end of the day, I am representing a team. I am not the team, so there are times when I think I need to consider other people’s viewpoints a bit more. So, in that respect, fair enough, to be honest.”

Contract frustration remains unresolved

Following the reprimand becoming public, Ticktum held what he described as a “very constructive” meeting with O’Hagan. The team principal has also acknowledged that Cupra Kiro must better understand how to work with Ticktum and extract his best performance.

Yet the driver’s contract situation remains a clear source of frustration. Now in his fifth year with the Silverstone-based outfit, Ticktum is without a deal for next season and stressed that his concerns are about treatment, not team performance.

“I am a human being at the end of the day, and that does affect how I feel going into a season, race by race, compounded by the fact that the season has been poor,” he said.

“I just have felt a bit let down, to be honest. Not in terms of the team’s performance, but just in how I’ve been treated.”

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Source: RacingNews365