CUPRA KIRO is ready to fight on home soil as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship heads to the Miami E-Prix for a second consecutive campaign. This weekend marks the first time since 2015 that Formula E will race in downtown Miami. The drivers took on Homestead-Miami Speedway for Season 11, but this time they face a new challenge in Season 12 at the Miami International Autodrome.
The American team will hope for a successful third round after securing its first points of the season last time out in Mexico City. The frantic race saw rookie Pepe Martí mount a successful recovery drive, clinching his first points in Formula E. Teammate Dan Ticktum had a less fruitful weekend but will look to bounce back in Miami.
Turning the luck around
Dan Ticktum’s Formula E season has not been what he hoped for in the first two rounds. However, the British racer will no doubt give it his all this weekend to turn his season around. Mexico City saw Ticktum suffer another retirement after sustaining damage on Lap 25. During an incident involving António Félix Da Costa, Maximilian Günther, and Jean-Éric Vergne, Ticktum tried to avoid a collision but still sustained damage that ended his race. Speaking ahead of the Miami E-Prix weekend, CUPRA KIRO driver Ticktum said:
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend after a somewhat unfortunate start to the season. The car was in a very good window in São Paulo and Mexico City, and after showing quite a lot of potential, it’s been frustrating to not get any points on the board because of circumstances that are outside of our control. This season hasn’t started how I wanted it to, but we’ll reset for Miami. Providing that our luck can turn around, I’m pretty confident that we can have a successful weekend.”
Solidify recent success into Miami
On the other hand, teammate Pepe Martí had a happier weekend in Mexico City and hopes to carry that momentum into Miami. After round one led to a double retirement for CUPRA KIRO, Martí turned the season around with a points finish in Mexico City. Despite starting last on the grid and serving a 10-second stop-go penalty, the rookie finished P7, earning the first points of his Formula E career.
Ahead of the Formula E Miami E-Prix, Martí stated:
“I’m excited to get started in Miami, and after taking my first points of the season in Mexico City, I want to try and solidify our recent steps forward by aiming for another good finish again. Having Rookie Free Practice alongside FP1 and FP2 will be hugely beneficial for this weekend and a smooth run through all the sessions should hopefully set us up well for the race.”
The Spaniard will take part in Friday’s Rookie Free Practice, giving him an extra session to get a feel for the Miami International Autodrome.
Highly promising but frustrating start of the season
Additionally, Team Principal Russell O’Hagen shared his optimism for Miami, stating:
“As a home race, the Miami E-Prix represents a very special weekend for us and we’re arriving with a lot of motivation after what has been a highly promising, if slightly frustrating, start to the season on track. Based on the pace that we’ve shown so far, we know that we’re more than capable of achieving strong results, but the next step is to covert our potential into consistent points finishes.
“Pepe impressed us a great deal with his drive in Mexico City, and with his Rookie Free Practice appearance on Friday, he’ll have a good opportunity to continue his growth this weekend. After challenging start to the year, Dan is on the verge of a breakthrough result and I’m very confident that he’ll bounce back soon. We expect that the margins will be incredibly close as always , but if we can hit the ground running, there’s no reason why we can’t achieve a good result in Miami.”
While it has been a challenging start to the Formula E season for the American outfit, they will hope for success on home soil. Track action returns on Friday with the first session of the weekend being the Rookie Free Practice.
