The 2025 Monaco E-Prix promised much but delivered little for Dan Ticktum, as the British driver struggled to convert pace into points during a challenging weekend on the iconic streets of the principality.
A promising start for Ticktum at the Monaco E-Prix undone
Ticktum started Race 1 in a promising position. After qualifying well, he slotted into fourth place early on after being overtaken by Nyck de Vries at the start. However, what began as a potentially strong points-scoring opportunity slowly unravelled as the race progressed.
The Cupra Kiro driver initially showed good pace. However, he found himself in intense midfield battles. Ticktum had to move his way past Robin Frijns at the hairpin for P7 on Lap 7. Showing his aggressive style, Ticktum then hounded Nick Cassidy but failed to make a move stick, allowing Mitch Evans to close in behind.
As the three drivers jostled for position, the race was neutralised by a full course yellow following António Félix da Costa’s crash. When racing resumed, Ticktum was unable to make significant progress through the field. He did manage to secure P7 by the chequered flag—a respectable but hardly spectacular result given his early position.
“I can’t seem to catch a break”
If Saturday was a case of unfulfilled potential, Sunday represented outright frustration for Ticktum. After showing impressive pace in both wet and dry conditions throughout the weekend, Race 2 quickly descended into disappointment.
Ticktum adopted an aggressive strategy. The Brit took Attack Mode early on Lap 3 as he looked to make progress from his grid position. Initially, the plan appeared to be working as he climbed to fifth position, showing the underlying pace of his car.
However, disaster struck on Lap 9 when an incident with Nick Cassidy effectively ended his chances. Defending eighth place from the hard-charging Jaguar driver, Ticktum was forced to take the escape road at Mirabeau after what he described as contact from Cassidy caused him to lock up.
Although he executed a brilliant spin-turn manoeuvre in the narrow confines of the escape road to rejoin the track, the damage was done. Ticktum had fallen to 18th position and out of contention for points.
While Ticktum struggled, Sébastien Buemi claimed a dominant victory in Race 2. Buemi’s first win in five years and the first for Envision Racing in nearly two seasons. Oliver Rowland continued his strong form with P2, while Cassidy, ironically the architect of Ticktum’s downfall, completed the podium from 14th on the grid.
Eyes on Tokyo
Speaking to Pit Debrief about his team’s trajectory, Ticktum remained cautiously optimistic. “I think like I’ve been saying to people, we didn’t arrive in the season, didn’t really hit the ground running.”
“There was a lot of changes for us to adapt to the team and also a little bit the drivers. I think everyone’s starting to get into their stride. I think we can have some good results in the next part of the season.”
However, his frustration with the Monaco weekend was evident in comments to the media, after Race 2. “The plan at the start of the race was to go forward, be aggressive, and take Attack Mode early, but I was caught up in a racing incident with [Nick] Cassidy. He hit me which caused me to lock up, I went off the track and that was the race done, really.”
“We had a lot of pace this weekend, both in the wet and in the dry, but I just wasn’t rewarded in the races. I can’t seem to catch a break.”
The British driver will be hoping for a change of fortune as Formula E heads to Tokyo for the next round. He’ll look to convert the evident pace into the results that have thus far eluded him and his team in season 11.
