Dan Ticktum named Driver of the Day after 1st Formula E podium - "I thought people hated me"

What a race weekend for Dan Ticktum! After a good fifth place on Saturday, the Brit really turned up the heat on the second race day of the Tokyo E-Prix. In qualifying, he fought for his first pole position in the final, before taking his first Formula E podium in the race! After the E-Prix, the Cupra Kiro driver was overjoyed and joked about his reputation in the paddock.

After showing flashes of his exceptional driving talent at the Monaco E-Prix, he continued his good form in Tokyo on Sunday. His semi-final win in the qualifying duel with world champion Pascal Wehrlein in an identical car was particularly impressive. And in the final against Oliver Rowland, he was also virtually ahead after the first two sectors, but then made contact with a wall. Nevertheless, second place on the grid was his best qualifying result in the electric series to date.

In the race, he initially saved energy in Rowland's slipstream and even took the lead from his compatriot on lap 8. Towards the halfway point of the race, he had to let Wehrlein past and also lost second place back to Rowland when he activated his second Attack Mode. In the final stages, he was involved in a thrilling duel for third place with Taylor Barnard, who briefly got past. However, Ticktum positioned himself well and reclaimed third place - which he ultimately took to the finish line.

LAP 8/32

Ticktum uses his ATTACK MODE and eases into the lead past Rowland! 🚀#TokyoEPrix pic.twitter.com/D4KwLFC1Zm

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 18, 2025

His first podium in his 57th Formula E race felt "pretty good", explained a delighted Ticktum shortly after the end of the race. "I have often thought: If only we had done this or that, I might have won. I had already said the other day that we just don't get a break (from our run of bad luck) this season. The team behind me simply did a flawless job. All in all, I'm just very happy."

"There's not much I could have done differently"

Maybe even more could have been possible, but Ticktum is not mourning a possible missed opportunity to win: "There is not much I could have done differently. I had to lead the race for a while, which was obviously not ideal (to drive energy-efficiently). And when Pascal (Wehrlein) took Attack (Mode), Oli (Rowland) got between us. I don't know what we could have done better from our side. They were just different strategies and it wasn't quite enough for first or second place."

The fans honoured Ticktum's performance and voted him "Driver of the Day". An award that is actually a mostly irrelevant honour, but one that nevertheless pleases him: "Driver of the day? I tell yo that, I thought everyone hated me", jokes Ticktum. "So maybe not, I'm happy, that's good! Thank you for everyone who voted for me. I appreciate."

Hats off to @DanTicktum, scoring your first podium in Formula E is thirsty work! 🎩👏#TokyoEPrix pic.twitter.com/YUYLYkwM9E

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 18, 2025

Ticktum climbed to twelfth place in the World Championship standings with a total of 25 points in Tokyo and is now only 13 points away from fifth place. He brought his team its first podium result since the 2018 Mexico City E-Prix around seven years ago. Back then, the team was still called Nio, and a certain Oliver Turvey lifted the trophy.

For the former back-marker team Kiro, which finished last in 2024 but has been running with Porsche powertrains since this season, it is a well-deserved reward after a clear upward trend in form this season. "We are now regularly fighting at the front, in all conditions", summarises Ticktum. "This is a big, big boost for the team." Ticktum's answer to the question of how he would celebrate after his success: "At least a million beers."