from Cupra Kiro ahead of this weekend’s Formula E Sanya E-Prix,
insisting that he is “a human being”. It was confirmed last week by
team principal Russell O’Hagan that Ticktum had been reprimanded
again following the team’s internal mid-season review. The review
came after Ticktum endured the ultimate rollercoaster in Monaco,
with sheer brilliance across both qualifying sessions followed by
two races to forget. Ticktum’s second reprimand relates to his
conduct at various points across the 10 completed rounds, which
reached its lowest point in Monaco. There has never been any doubt
that the Briton is one of the quickest drivers in Formula E,
perfectly highlighted by him securing back-to-back pole positions
in the Principality. However, leaving the circuit immediately after
the first race in Monaco following a post-race 33-second time
penalty – the equivalent of a drive-through – and missing his media
duties saw frustrations boil over. From Sanya onwards, Ticktum has
also been instructed by Cupra Kiro to wear team kit at all times
while in the paddock, something that had not previously been the
case. It has been a hugely challenging season for Ticktum who, for
the most part, has suffered poor results due to factors entirely
outside of his control. However, he recognises that he also needs
to make changes. “Yeah, I think when you read it without much
context, it just sounds like I’ve been a naughty boy, but I don’t
think it’s necessarily down to that,” Ticktum began explaining in
an interview with RacingNews365 . “There’s a few things that the
team haven’t been happy with, just a general lack of
professionalism in a couple of areas. Things like wearing team kit
all the time and stuff like that, which, a lot of the time, I
regard as very trivial. “But, at the end of the day, I am
representing a team. I am not the team, so there are times when I
think I need to consider other people’s viewpoints a bit more. So,
in that respect, fair enough, to be honest.” Ticktum’s contract
frustration Following the news of Ticktum’s reprimand becoming
public, the 27-year-old had a “very constructive” meeting with
O’Hagan, giving the driver confidence moving forward. It has not
all been on Ticktum when it comes to things going awry this
campaign, with the team also needing to accept some responsibility.
Alongside announcing Ticktum’s reprimand, O’Hagan acknowledged that
the team needs to better understand how to work with him and
extract the best performance from him. One key reason behind much
of Ticktum’s frustration this season has been his contract, with
the Briton again addressing his dissatisfaction with how he has
been treated. Ticktum is in his fifth year with the
Silverstone-based outfit and is not criticising the team’s
performance, but rather the way he has been treated. Currently, he
is without a contract for next season. “I do think, though, on the
other hand, that there is a bit too much focus on things that
aren’t important,” added Ticktum. “It’s a hard one to talk about
because, I think I’ve said to you in the past, in terms of
contracts at this team, I haven’t been particularly happy with how
I’ve been treated. “I am a human being at the end of the day, and
that does affect how I feel going into a season, race by race,
compounded by the fact that the season has been poor. “I don’t
know. Yeah, I just have felt a bit let down, to be honest. Not in
terms of the team’s performance, but just in how I’ve been treated.
Like I say, I won’t go into it too much, but I do feel, obviously,
I’ve given a lot to this team.”