Dan Ticktum says most Formula E drivers could race in Formula 1 - 'A fair few F1 drivers shouldn't be there'

ByEurosport

Published 21/04/2023 at 11:46 GMT

Dan Ticktum has been speaking ahead of the weekend’s 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix double-header, which marks the start of the European leg of the World Championship. The German capital follows an exhilarating past few rounds, which included three debut races in a row for the all-electric racing series with the Hyderabad, Cape Town and Julius Baer Sao Paulo E-Prix.

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NIO 333 Racing’s Dan Ticktum believes that any of the drivers in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship could make it in Formula 1.

Sao Paulo featured 114 overtakes in total and delivered the most lead changes in Formula E history, with it changing three times in a single lap on two occasions.

That followed the fastest lap in Formula E history in Cape Town, with Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz averaging 154.987kph, with the series’ sub-Saharan African debut also its fastest race at an average speed of 132.199kph. It also means nine races in a row – a Formula E record – the polesitter has been overtaken to lose the race.

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Such stats underline the competitiveness of Formula E, and for Ticktum the series’ unparalleled unpredictability is down to the strength of its drivers.

“I think pretty much every driver bar a couple could easily be in Formula 1,” he said. “Obviously, a lot of them have been there and should have been for longer.

“When you get to this level, we're all let's say above 99% of the most talented, but if someone turns up who's 98.7% with £10m, then that helps, and they can probably do more or less as good a job as the guy that he's booted out.

“I feel like Formula E is one of the only categories in the world where all drivers are paid as real professionals and the fact that we're all paid speaks for itself really. There’s a fair few Formula 1 drivers who I don't think should be there, and I think there are other drivers in Formula E who should be there instead.

“When I qualify near the back or make a small mistake, it's like ‘well I'm at the back, but I'm at the back by half a tenth or whatever’. We're all so close, so it's not as demeaning if you finish in the back of Formula E, compared to another category.”

Ticktum has been showing good form this season and achieved his highest ever finish in Formula E in Cape Town – sixth – and currently sits on nine points so far in 2023, which is a significant improvement on the solitary point he secured in Season 8.

The 23-year-old’s form has given him confidence that he could add to his tally this weekend in Berlin, despite a poor performance at the Tempelhof Airport circuit in his last appearance there.

“I struggled there last year, I think, to be brutally honest,” he admitted. “I think it's a hard one for me, because a lot of the other drivers have obviously been in Formula E for five, six years, and there was obviously that COVID year where they did the track six times or something back-to-back.

“I think the track does reward experience; however, I do feel more confident going back there now. I like the fact that we're going in the same direction both days, because it gives me a bit of a chance to build on a bit of momentum from day to day. But there's some good, combined braking zones, which might be quite good for our car, so I’m optimistic.

“There's a lot of places where you can overtake. I just think you can get overtaken pretty much anywhere on the track. If someone wants to make a move, I think they can.

“I think it'll be a good one for the fans, I think people are always enjoying the Berlin race. It seems to be quite a good atmosphere. Everyone seems to have a pint in their hand most of the time and they seem to be enjoying themselves, so that's good.”

Watch the 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix live on Eurosport 2 at 14:00 BST on Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April.

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