Cupra Kiro performance showed promise, but the team ultimately fell short of points in Race 2 of the Formula E Berlin E-Prix.
Cupra Kiro endured a challenging end to the Formula E double-header in Berlin, as a bold strategic approach failed to deliver the desired result.
The strategy saw the team deliberately start from the back of the grid to preserve tyre life and build an early energy advantage.
Cupra Kiro Berlin E-Prix strategy shapes race
Both Dan Ticktum and Pepe Martí followed a plan centred around heavy energy saving in the opening phase.
This allowed Cupra Kiro to build a positive energy offset before pushing forward through the field. By lap 12, both drivers began making progress after executing the first phase successfully.
However, despite the promising start, the race pace at 300kW limited further gains.
Attack Mode proves decisive for Berlin
As the race progressed, Cupra Kiro relied on Attack Mode activations to gain positions in Berlin.
Ticktum briefly moved into the top 10, while Martí also advanced steadily. However, the timing of Attack Mode proved critical, with rivals gaining an advantage later in the race.
As a result, Martí finished 12th, while Ticktum crossed the line in 14th.
Drivers reflect on Formula E Berlin race
Reflecting on the Cupra Kiro’s Berlin performance, Ticktum pointed to tyre management as a key limitation during the race.
He said, “We got the strategy right by starting from the back today, but once the tyres overheated, we didn’t have any grip. Unfortunately, Tempelhof is one of the worst tracks for managing tyre temperatures and I don’t think there’s much more we could have done. It’s disappointing, but I have faith that we’ll have more pace in Monaco and that we should be able to score some good points.”
Meanwhile, Cupra Kiro driver Martí highlighted both the frustration and the positives from the weekend in Berlin E-Prix.
He said, “Today was one of those days that you never want to exist. We had the right strategy and when the time came to move forwards, I was presented with the opportunity to either survive and attack again on the next lap or get taken out. I chose to survive today and ended up with a clean, intact car but came away without any points so I don’t know if I’ll change my approach for the next time we have a pack race. It was an unfortunate race, but right now, we’re moving in the right direction, the team is doing a great job, the strategy is always good, and the pace over one lap is definitely there. We’ll regroup to try and get points in Monaco.”
Positives remain for Cupra Kiro
Despite missing out on points in the Berlin E-Prix, Cupra Kiro showed encouraging pace across the weekend.
Russell O’Hagan emphasised the strong execution of the early strategy, even if the result did not reflect the performance.
He said, “The pace was there this weekend, and that’s what makes today such a tough result to take. Given how energy sensitive Tempelhof is, we committed to a very strategic energy saving phase early in the race with the aim of building an energy advantage over the cars around us, and both Dan and Pepe executed that plan very well. After the opening phase, we had a significant buffer compared to the leaders and we were in a strong position to fight forwards. We struggled to advance in the 300kW race mode and were forced to rely on Attack Mode to make progress, but it left us short of our targets. It’s disappointing to come away without points today, especially after the promise we showed across the weekend, but there are always positives we can take.”
Looking ahead, Cupra Kiro will aim to convert this pace into points at the next round.
