PREVIEW: Are Cupra Kiro a rising dark horse for 2026?
- Michael Williams
- 13 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Written by Michael Williams, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
In the lead-up to Formula E's Season 12, DIVEBOMB's writers preview the season ahead for each of the 10 teams taking part in the all-electric racing series. The third part of this series looks at another team looking for more glory after a famous debut season in the series.
Team history - Cupra Kiro in Formula E
Cupra Kiro has finished its first season in Formula E, ending its inaugural campaign in 10th, ahead of only the Lola Yamaha ABT team. The team was rebranded in 2025 as Cupra Kiro after it was acquired by the Forest Road Company. It was formerly known as the ERT Formula E team, along with many other guises, since the inaugural season of Formula E.
A points total of 86 actually constitutes the team's second-best finish in championship history, with 152 in the first season of Formula E being the only higher score. A strong campaign may be down to the leadership of Alex Hui, who orchestrated the team's success on and off track this past year.
However, Hui has moved to a senior advisor role for Season 12 as part of a leadership restructuring at the team. He will be replaced by Russell O’Hagan, who was previously CEO of Cupra Kiro.
Despite a poor constructors’ championship finish, their season was a tale of two halves in terms of their drivers. Dan Ticktum, who has been part of the team since the 2021-22 season, scored all but one of the team's points. A championship finish of 11th made it a largely impressive season for the Briton, including a podium finish in Tokyo and a maiden Formula E win in Jakarta. Ticktum will race for the team once again next season.
Ticktum’s teammate in the 2024-25 season was German driver David Beckmann. 2025 marked Beckmann’s first full season of racing since 2022 when he competed in FIA Formula 2. Since then, Beckmann had served as the reserve driver for Porsche and their customer Formula E teams, which also provided him with two Formula E starts for Andretti in Jakarta. He also made two appearances in the FIA WEC LMP2 class in 2023 with Hertz Team Jota.
Beckmann was eventually able to seal a full-season debut in Formula E with Cupra Kiro in the 2024-25 season. However, after a frustrating and difficult season where scored only one point in the season finale in London, the German was let go by the team.
Ticktum was able to show the capabilities of the Cupra Kiro car, suggesting more could be on offer for the team in the upcoming season. Furthermore, a stronger teammate may aid the team in their ambitions to rise up the standings. Spaniard Pepe Marti has been announced as part of the driver lineup alongside Ticktum for the 2025-26 season.
Marti, a previous member of the Red Bull Junior Team, joins Cupra Kiro after competing in Formula 2 for the past two seasons with Campos Racing. He currently sits sixth in the F2 standings, but will miss the final two race weekends to focus on his upcoming Formula E debut.
He comes into the championship with slightly more pedigree than Beckmann did, with a previous top-five finish in FIA Formula 3 and a former Spanish F4 champion.
Marti recently took part in the Formula E pre-season test at Valencia, where he impressed by finishing the test just 0.051s behind experienced teammate Dan Ticktum, whilst comparing their fastest laps throughout the test.
It’s a great start for Marti as he is already showing promise early on, however, a steep learning curve still lies ahead for the Spaniard as Formula E is very different to what he has raced previously.
Considering issues such as tyres, energy management and attack mode illustrates just a few of the unique aspects that Marti will have to adapt to, but it’s encouraging to see him showing his raw pace from the get go making him one to watch next year.
His goal for the upcoming season: “is to get up to speed, improve quickly and score points and hopefully get a couple of good results.”
Meanwhile Ticktum has set himself a lofty target for the upcoming season: “my personal goal is a top five finish in the championship, but overall, I want to really enjoy the environment in the team. I love all of the people in this team, and I’m really looking forward to this season.” With new team principal Russel O’Hagan stating : “he has the making of a World Champion.”
Bold prediction for Cupra Kiro
A refreshed, but experienced driver line-up and an improvement on what was already a strong car should make the 2025-26 season the best yet for the team. High expectations will likely be set as they chase further podiums and wins.
This continued momentum could lead to the team becoming a dark horse in the upcoming Formula E campaign. Could we see Ticktum be a genuine championship challenger as he and he team grow together? How do you think the team will perform in the 2025-26 Formula E season?
