Formula E in Sao Paulo: Points for Ticktum, difficult debut for Beckmann - is Cupra Kiro already a top team?

After good lap times in the pre-season tests in Madrid, Cupra Kiro was considered the secret favourite for the eleventh Formula E season - an impression that was not yet confirmed at the season opener in Sao Paulo. While David Beckmann was out of the race after contact with a wall, team-mate Dan Ticktum at least scored some championship points. However, Ticktum was not really satisfied with his result.

From 11th on the grid, Ticktum was in midfield for the entire race and used attack mode to work his way up into the points. His progress was halted when race control interrupted the race to recover Jake Dennis' Andretti. After the race was restarted, Ticktum had to let several drivers pass, but then benefited from the collision between Nick Cassidy, Max Günther and Pascal Wehrlein, which brought him back into the top 10. Due to a subsequent penalty for Norman Nato, he moved up to eighth place.

His team-mate Beckmann had significantly more problems in qualifying, which meant he only managed 20th on the grid. The German was also able to move up a few positions early on until he touched the wall ten laps before the end following a driving error. He damaged his suspension in the process.

After a lengthy repair, which was completed before the end of the race due to the second race interruption following Pascal Wehrlein's rollover, Beckmann took to the track again. On the final lap, he drove the fastest lap of the race despite 300-kW mode and without four-wheel drive, even if this was not rewarded with an additional point as Beckmann was outside the top 10.

Attack Mode bad luck for Ticktum - "Could have finished in the top 5"

"Overall, it was an average weekend," said Dan Ticktum after the race. "It's very positive that the team got everything together and I'm glad that I have a car that I can fight with. I lost about two minutes in attack mode due to the red flag, right at the point where we were supposed to start pushing. That was very, very unfortunate."

"I think we could have finished in the top five today," continued the Briton. "The McLarens were very lucky with the energy saving and then with the red flag. It just wasn't our day, but the positive is that the car has improved a lot. It should be a good season and next time we just need a bit more luck."

"Our race today was a bit unlucky, but we had a good pace," explains Beckmann. "We started from 20th place and were very close to the points throughout the race. I had a contact at the start, so my car was a bit different to drive. After the red flag, I touched the wall, which ruined my race.

Beckmann: "We just need more luck"

But in the end I'm very happy. I learnt a lot this weekend, we had good pace and I think we showed good potential. Next time, we just need more luck and we need to qualify better to avoid the chaos at the start."

"Despite the short time we had to get everything in place for this season, we were able to get a top 10 result today," said Team Principal Alex Hui. "It feels very satisfying to pick up some points on our first opportunity. Dan, David and the team did a great job this weekend. We have a sense of our potential and a clear idea of how we can continue to improve our performance. Today was a good start, but we can do even better and I'm looking forward to Mexico."

With four points, it was the most successful start to the season for the team since the third Formula E season, when Oliver Turvey also finished eighth in Hong Kong in 2016. Cupra Kiro therefore occupies sixth place in the team standings. The next chance to score points will be at the Mexico City E-Prix, which will take place on 11 January 2025.