David Beckmann has opened up about his journey in Formula E, sharing insights on his relationships with fellow drivers and his thoughts on the technological evolution of the series following the Monaco E-Prix double-header.
The Cupra Kiro driver, who has been quietly building his reputation in the all-electric championship, reflected on his progress and the valuable lessons learned from more experienced competitors, including Pascal Wehrlein and teammate Dan Ticktum.
Beckmann learning from experience
David Beckmann’s path to becoming a full-time Formula E driver with Cupra Kiro, involved time as a reserve driver, where he shared garages with some of the series’ most established names. This experience has proven invaluable to his development.
Speaking to Pit Debrief, Beckmann opened up about his time as a reserve driver for Andretti and Porsche. “Especially with Pascal, I was, past years, as we know, from back 2008 or something, from karting, we obviously have a very close friendship,” Beckmann revealed.
“And, yeah, obviously with him, I’m still nearly every day in contact, especially on a race weekend, because he just has a lot of experience, a really, really, yeah, fully built race driver, you know, with a lot of experience, a lot of speed, stuff like that.”
This relationship with Porsche’s Wehrlein appears to have been particularly beneficial for Beckmann, providing him with insights that have accelerated his learning curve in the championship.
Working alongside Dan Ticktum at Cupra Kiro
Working alongside Dan Ticktum at Cupra Kiro has also contributed to Beckmann’s development. Ticktum, now in his fourth year in Formula E, brings significant experience that Beckmann has been able to tap into.
“I always learn a lot from them [past teammates Wehrlein and Jake Dennis]. And also with Dan [Ticktum], I mean, he’s also now, I think, fourth year in Formula E, so it’s also a lot of experience.”
“I think this year, finally, a good package for him. And, yeah, he has a really good pace, like a ground pace, like natural pace in qualifying and stuff. So, it was really nice to work with him together at the beginning of the season to learn from him. And I think now we’re on a very similar pace, so that’s really good for the team as well,” Beckmann acknowledged.
Despite the challenging Monaco weekend, where Ticktum showed early promise but faced difficulties in both races, the partnership seems to be bearing fruit. Ticktum’s weekend ultimately proved disappointing, tumbling down the order in Race 1 despite a strong qualifying position, and facing further setbacks in Race 2 when he was forced to take the escape road at Mirabeau, dropping to 18th place.
The collaboration with experienced teammates has helped Beckmann reach a point where he now feels capable of standing on his own feet in the championship.
Beckmann is confident despite not yielding the results he hoped for in past Formula E races
“In the end, I think now I’m kind of at a stage in a confident level where I can do my job alone and obviously work with the team really close together and share information with the team. And, yeah, like the qualifying result was in Miami, it was a really good one to go in the duels, and we’re going to try to achieve that here as well,” he stated with clear satisfaction.
While his Monaco weekend didn’t yield the results he might have hoped for, the confidence remains.
Beckman spoke about the evolution of Formula E technology
Having made his Formula E debut in 2022, David Beckmann has witnessed significant technological developments in the series, with the transition to the Gen 3 Evo cars representing a substantial step forward.
When asked about the differences between his debut and the current Gen 3 Evo cars, Beckmann was enthusiastic. “Yeah, it’s a lot quicker, and that’s really good because, yeah, driving faster cars is equal to more fun,” stated Beckmann.
“So, we did good progress also this year with the attack mode, with the all-wheel drive. It’s really nice in the duels and also to overtake in the races, so it just gives you more speed and just more traction, a lot faster lap times around the circuit.”
The German driver appears particularly impressed by the pace of technological evolution in Formula E, noting the substantial improvements in performance since his debut.
“I think it shows just how much Formula E is developing on the technology side, and I’m really thrilled also when the Gen 4 comes out, and I think there’s always so much improvement, and the cars are getting so much faster.”
The latest addition to a list of Formula E developments
Beckmann also highlighted the introduction of pit boost charging as an exciting strategic element in this season’s championship, drawing parallels with traditional motorsport tactics.
“And now also this year with the pit boost charging, it’s a really new thing, and it’s working well, so we will also have that here in the first race, and it will be really interesting and a very nice strategy tool to use overtaking other cars like undercut, overcut, similar to Formula 1,” he explained.
During the Monaco weekend, all drivers, including Edoardo Mortara, Jean-Eric Vergne, Jake Dennis, and Norman Nato utilised this element to gain advantages at various points in both races.
As the Formula E championship progressed through its Monaco double-header, where Oliver Rowland claimed victory in Race 1 and Sebastien Buemi took the honours in Race 2, Beckmann continued his development journey in the series.
While the results weren’t headline-grabbing for Beckmann in Monaco, his growing confidence and appreciation for the technological progress of Formula E suggest a driver who is increasingly comfortable in the championship.
“I think the progress in Formula E is very special, and as a driver, it’s always really nice to drive with the new technology and faster cars, I would say,” Beckmann concluded, reflecting a genuine enthusiasm for both his personal journey and the trajectory of the championship itself.
The series now looks ahead to Tokyo, and Beckmann will be hoping to translate his building confidence and experience into stronger results on the track.
