Cupra KIRO Team Principal Alex Hui believes that Dan Ticktum’s rise from 21st to fourth was the best driver performance of the season so far.
The team opted for a strategy of late Attack Modes and energy saving to ensure that Ticktum would be in a position to fight for a podium by the end of the race.
Hui praised Ticktum’s drive as one of the best of the season, especially after a tough Qualifying session left the British driver languishing near the back of the grid. “Dan put in one of the drives of the season today,” Hui said. “Given the situation we were facing after Qualifying, I think we can be very happy with fourth.”
Ticktum, who felt compromised by a poor tyre set in Qualifying, was blunt in his assessment. “I must have had a rubbish set of tyres because I had no pace at all,” he said. “But we should have started inside the top 10. Starting from 21st meant that we had to come up with a different strategy and we pulled it off very, very well.”
The bold strategy and aggressive drive paid off, with Ticktum narrowly missing out on a second consecutive podium finish. “We should have had a podium if it wasn’t for some questionable driving by others,” Ticktum added. “But I’m proud of the team – we’re getting there, and more often than not now, we seem to be fighting at the sharp end.”
While the fourth-place finish left the team with mixed emotions, Hui saw it as a sign of CUPRA KIRO’s growing competitiveness. “It’s frustrating to miss out on the podium… but being able to say that we’re slightly disappointed with fourth is a good thing,” he noted. “It shows that fighting for silverware is becoming the new normal for us.”
On the other side of the garage, David Beckmann had a promising start to the day with eighth in Qualifying but finished 14th in the race. The young German pointed to a late-race strategy decision as a learning moment. “I struggled with our strategy today, and with a longer Attack Mode at the end, I think we could have been ninth or 10th,” he said. “But I’m happy with the car, the pace is good, and tomorrow it will most likely rain – the race will be totally different.”
With rain forecast for Sunday’s second race, both drivers and team are looking ahead with optimism. “We have another race tomorrow… our full focus is on executing that to the best of our abilities,” Hui concluded.
As CUPRA KIRO continues its strong form, Shanghai’s opening race has laid the foundation for what could be a breakthrough weekend.
