P1racenews AI automatic summary:
There’s a growing feeling that Dan Ticktum is – finally – on the cusp of something bigger. And it’s only partly to do with a first Formula E podium
Is Dan Ticktum the messiah or is he just a very naughty boy? Ticktum just won’t care either way, and frankly it feels pretty good for him and those around him that he doesn’t. His honesty and authenticity can amuse and humble in equal measure – but is it something just to accept, or maybe even to embrace? Actually, many big hitters in the Formula E paddock are starting to see this blazing mercurial light too, now. Because at last, finally, they are observing what they thought he was probably always capable of: Ticktum in a fast car is undeniable in the outcome of delivering results. But maybe let’s not get too excited. He’s only just got his first podium after three and a half seasons of trying in Formula E. While that’s hardly his fault, the feeling at the moment is that the team he has raced for since the start of the 2022 season is finally crystallising into a serious proposition that can match its promise with his, and then deliver results. Ticktum has had doubts cast upon him, which is perhaps natural in such a competitive environment as Formula E. The Race has already covered just how impressive 80% of his qualifying final lap against Oliver Rowland was in Tokyo last Sunday. A watching James Rossiter on commentary duty was seriously impressed and one team principal even described it to The Race privately as “the best almost-pole lap” they’d “ever seen in motorsport”. It deserves fast-tracking to legendary status in the Formula E bubble, if not beyond. It was that good. But what does it all mean for Ticktum, his Cupra Kiro team, and the wider paddock, especially as far as his future is concerned? Impressing big bosses Sunday in Tokyo felt like the beginning of something big for Ticktum, and it wasn’t just him underlining how fast he could be. There was more to it than that. There were no radio histrionics from him this time, something which has not only presented Ticktum as a kind of cartoon character but has also made him an obvious target for social media pile-ons. A certain clarity of thought was displayed in Tokyo that cut through the previous hysteria. Ticktum wasn’t fighting a demon this time because the angel had booted that interloper off his shoulder. In fact, Ticktum was openly riding as a precision shotgun with none other than the reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein for most of the race. A pre-race discussion between Porsche and Kiro, which runs the exact Gen3 design that took Wehrlein to last year’s title, led to a good slice of key orchestrations in Sunday’s race, including Ticktum letting Wehrlein through into the lead at the midway stage. All this was very calmly done and at one stage Ticktum even piped up: “I’m just going to cover Pascal. I’m not going to overtake him. When he lifts I’ll go side by side and I’ll let him go again.” “Serenity is the quiet confidence that comes from within,” so said someone serene once. Ticktum was in that groove and his team was loving it. For Porsche’s Florian Modlinger, Ticktum actually came on his radar rapidly in Formula E and, especially over the tough seasons, he saw a racer that against considerable self-inflicted odds might one day represent a major manufacturer. Tokyo”
