21/06/2025 13:00
Dan Ticktum fired a shot at some of his critics to have directed "hate" towards him during his career after claiming an emotional maiden Formula E victory in the Jakarta E-Prix. The Cupra Kiro driver started in fifth in the Indonesian capital but spent the entire race in the front pack, before race leaders Jake Dennis and Nyck de Vries both suffered from major problems. Their issues handed Ticktum a shock lead in the closing laps, which he controlled to perfection to secure a maiden win in the all-electric series. It marked an incredibly emotional moment for the former Red Bull junior driver, who has spent the majority of his career receiving criticism and hate following an incident which saw him temporarily banned from motorsport in 2015 at 16 years old. He was also recently on the receiving end of a bizarre jibe from Mercedes' George Russell . Now at 25, Ticktum has started showcasing his immense speed, which saw him become part of both Red Bull's and Williams' junior programmes before progressing from Formula 2 to FE. "I always question in my head how much I should filter what I say, and unfortunately, I do have to filter it," Ticktum began saying in the post-race press conference. "But there are some I would like to say. "I'm sure most people know what I'm thinking. I've had a had a lot of doubt and a lot of hate from people over the years. People with short-term memory issues, forgetting that I won a fair few things on my way up the ladder. "And, yeah, I think the first three seasons of Formula E were very, very tough. It was difficult to remain motivated. But, yeah, this season is pretty much as good as I could have hoped for." Ticktum discusses 'special feeling' The staggering result has moved Ticktum into fifth in the drivers' standings, just 23 points adrift of second-placed Pascal Wehrlein. It has been an extraordinary couple of months for Cupra Kiro, who spent the last few seasons as a backmarker under the names or NIO 333 and ERT. Now, with major American investors, Cupra as a partner and Porsche as its powertrain supplier, significant progress is being made. Ticktum secured his first podium in FE a month ago in Tokyo, with him having highlighted the immense progress the team has been making. "We definitely struggled at the start to hit the ground running, to adapt with all the new systems and the new powertrain," added Ticktum. "But the team have done, I would say, a remarkable job, especially since Miami. I think the rate of improvement has been very, very good, even at this weekend. FP1 and FP2 were kind of pointless, because the track was just so different all the time. He later continued: "So, yeah, very, very proud of the team. Very appreciative of the opportunity with the new investors to put the deal together with Porsche and Cupra, and just very proud of the team, to be honest, it's a special, special feeling. So, yeah, good."
