Dan Ticktum addresses chances of Formula E breaking staggering Goodwood record

Dan Ticktum has addressed his and Formula E's chances of breaking a staggering record at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The all-electric series will unleash its brand-new Gen4 race car on the iconic Goodwood hill, with Ticktum behind the wheel throughout the event, which got underway on Thursday.

Formula E has taken each of its generations to Goodwood to highlight the transformation of the category since Gen1.

However, the talk of Goodwood is whether Ticktum can beat former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld's record for the quickest time up the hill in a single-seater.

The championship has not publicly stated that it will attempt to break either Heidfeld's single-seater record or the outright Goodwood record, but it was a topic of speculation in the paddock at last weekend's Shanghai E-Prix.

It is also being discussed at Goodwood, with Heidfeld's 41.6-second run, set in a 1999 McLaren MP4/13 F1 car, the time to beat for the single-seater record. The outright record stands at 39.08 seconds, set by Max Chilton in 2021 in the all-electric McMurtry Speirling.

Asked if he can beat Heidfeld's record, Ticktum initially joked on Goodwood's official broadcast: "It's the first question we're leading with, is it? The record? 

"I think it's going to be close, to be honest. Four-wheel drive is quite useful, though, especially up here. I'd never actually driven here. I just drove up the hill for the first time in a Cupra.

"Yeah, it's quite tight. But no, first and foremost, I'm very lucky, and I feel very privileged and very grateful for this opportunity. 

"To be in one of the fastest cars on my first time here is fantastic, and I will do everything in my power to try to break the record, that's for sure."

Ticktum's strategy

While the Gen4, which will be introduced next season, will start life on grooved Bridgestone tyres for the first two campaigns of Formula E's next era, it has been fitted with slick tyres for Goodwood.

Formula E is eager to showcase exactly what its next car can do at one of the world's biggest motorsport events, with the Gen4 boasting all-wheel drive, 815 bhp, a 0–60 mph time of 1.8 seconds and a top speed of 210 mph.

Ticktum plans to build up to the limit across his runs before the timed shootout takes place on Sunday.

Discussing his strategy over the weekend, Ticktum explained: "Yeah, I mean, I've never done much hill-climb stuff, but I do know that you never push 100% in a hill climb, so I will certainly build up to it and chip away. 

"It's nice that I get a few proper runs before Sunday, but we'll assess the situation after the first couple of runs. If I'm within a second, I can probably push it a bit more. Yeah, but we'll see."