CUPRA KIRO emerged from the 2026 Miami E-Prix with a valuable top-10 finish on home soil, as rookie Pepe Martí continued his consistent start to his debut Formula E campaign. The Spanish driver finished ninth in challenging conditions to secure his second consecutive points result, while a difficult race for Dan Ticktum underlined a weekend that ultimately delivered mixed outcomes for the team.
The early stages of the event suggested greater potential. Martí displayed steady pace throughout practice, while Ticktum topped the timesheets in FP1 and showed strong performance in both power modes. Qualifying, however, failed to reflect that promise. Martí narrowly missed progression into the duels and started 13th on the grid, while Ticktum struggled with grip in Group B and lined up 18th. Rain ahead of the race further complicated matters and forced the team into differing strategic approaches before the lights went out.
Wet conditions shape race strategy for Ticktum
Changing weather conditions became a defining factor on race day, with rainfall shortly before the start forcing teams to make rapid strategic decisions. From 18th on the grid, CUPRA KIRO opted to gamble on improving track conditions for Ticktum by setting the car up for a drying circuit at the Miami E-Prix. The decision reflected the limited overtaking opportunities expected in sustained wet conditions. However, the rain continued throughout the race, preventing the strategy from delivering the intended performance gains and leaving Ticktum unable to progress through the field before his race came to an early end.
“We made a good start to the weekend, and both the performance at 300kW and 350kW was great in practice. In Qualifying, we had no grip which meant that we struggled for pace and started from the back. The rain then meant that it would be difficult to make progress in the race, so we gambled on the rain stopping and the track trying, but it didn’t work.”
Martí converts consistency into points
While one side of the garage faced an uphill battle, Martí produced a composed and intelligent drive to convert consistency into another points finish. Experiencing full wet running in a Formula E car for the first time, he adapted quickly and established a stable rhythm early in the race. By maintaining track position through the opening laps and managing energy effectively, he moved into the top 10 as the race developed. The effective deployment of both Attack Modes in the closing stages allowed him to defend his position at the Miami E-Prix and cross the line ninth, exceeding his own expectations for points-scoring consistency at this stage of the season together with CUPRA KIRO.
“I’m quite happy with the race. Today was my first time ever driving the car in properly wet conditions, and I was able to find a consistent pace very early on. I felt very comfortable at the wheel, and the team did a great job to give me a good car which allowed me to fight for a top 10 finish. Coming into this season, my personal target was to be in the points in half of the races and so far, we’ve finished inside the top 10 in two-thirds, so it’s going quite well. Each weekend, I’m aiming for bigger points, but I’m happy with the result today and looking forward to the next race in Jeddah.”
CUPRA KIRO focuses on learnings from Miami E-Prix and recovery ahead of Jeddah
Team Principal Russell O’Hagan acknowledged that the Miami E-Prix offered both positives and frustrations. He highlighted Martí’s maturity and race craft in difficult conditions as a clear indicator of his progress, while also recognising that the strategic direction chosen for Ticktum in response to the weather did not yield the desired outcome. With a short turnaround before the Jeddah E-Prix, CUPRA KIRO shifted its attention towards analysing the weekend in detail, extracting key lessons, and ensuring those learnings translated into a stronger and more complete performance at the next round.
“Overall, it’s been a mixed weekend here in Miami, and we are in the process of unpicking everything that happened today. Starting with the positives, Pepe delivered another mature drive in the race, and despite navigating full wet conditions in Formula E for the first time, he mastered the weather, attacked and defended very well, and made his way into top 10 to score his second points finish in three races.”
“In contradiction, it was another frustrating race for Dan. When the rain arrived, we knew we were facing an uphill battle from 18th and took a calculated risk by setting the car up for a drying track. Unfortunately, upon reflection, the direction we picked was not the right one but we need to take it on the chin and ensure that we learn from it. We have a short turnaround before the Jeddah E-Prix and have a busy week ahead to maximise everything we’ve learned this weekend, but our goal is to convert our learnings into a strong set of results.”
