Dan Ticktum opens up on 'impossible' to axe reputation: 'I am a human'

Dan Ticktum has opened up about his 'bad boy' reputation being "impossible" to get rid of, no matter what he does, addressing that, like everyone else, he is, at the end of the day, "human".

Likeable, at times controversial but ultimately incredibly fast, is the best way of summarising Ticktum as a character in Formula E.

The Briton is one of the quickest drivers on the grid but, as has been the case throughout his motorsport career, is often just as likely to appear in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

While that is sometimes through his own doing — something he is often the first to accept — there have been countless occasions where he has appeared negatively in the media for unfair reasons.

Already this year, Ticktum has been involved in various incidents online, with some comments in particular leading him to apologise. For Ticktum, he has always carried this 'bad boy' reputation, something he and his Formula E outfit Cupra Kiro have embraced to a certain extent.

Much of his reputation and the negative press he receives stems from an incident over a decade ago in 2015, when he received a two-year ban from racing for deliberately crashing into a rival.

It was — as Ticktum would agree — an incredibly bad decision to make, one he will always have to live with. For most, it would spell the end of a career, but Ticktum returned and was quickly snapped up by Red Bull and then Williams.

Formula 1 was on the radar before outside factors changed the trajectory of his future towards Formula E. Since then, he has become a Formula E race winner but recognises some will never move past what he did at 16 years old.

"I can't ignore it; I still have to be accountable for it," Ticktum told RacingNews365 during an interview in Miami, addressing his ban. "It's something I did. But, you know, I did my time. And I got picked up by Red Bull and Williams.

"Everyone's going to say, 'Oh, you didn't get to F1 because of your attitude' — that's just not true. It was the super licence. And then Williams sold the team during COVID, and it was bought by Americans. Then they put Logan Sargeant in and got rid of me.

"I was largely unlucky, really. Yeah, I didn't help myself on various occasions. But I'd say 90% of the crap I get was obviously the ban over a decade ago, so that has been very hard to shake off."

Ticktum's rare social media approach

While a large number of drivers across all championships opt for a silent approach to social media, Ticktum prefers to tackle hate directly.

The 26-year-old is no stranger to venting his feelings or explaining his point of view through a comment or Instagram story, but it is also part of what makes him so entertaining and, in the paddock, very likeable as a person.

Explaining why he comments on social media posts against him, Ticktum explained: "People say, 'Well, why do you bother commenting?' I just think it's good to show that I am a human, like everybody else, and not just a robot that's told to ignore things."

Across his career, very few drivers have received as much backlash or hate from fans as Ticktum, with good results at times often completely overshadowed.

Ticktum is a driver who can hold his own after a decade of online hatred, but even for him it can become mentally challenging at times.

Discussing if the online hate impacts his mental health, Ticktum openly admitted: "A little bit. I think it's going to be impossible to shake it off. I've just got to live with it. It is what it is. I'm here at a very high level, being paid good money for my services as a driver.

"You can't be here by accident. Lots of people only last a year or two in this championship, and they're out because they don't perform or whatever.

"It's very, very high level, and I'm still here after five years and very likely I'll have a contract for Gen4 — not done yet, but likely."

While Ticktum does receive a lot of hate, he also has one of the most dedicated and loyal fanbases in Formula E, which often jumps to his defence on social media.

Asked what it means to have a loyal following, Ticktum replied: "Yeah, a lot. There are some people that have been with me ever since the Red Bull days, nearly 10 years ago.

"The people that know me and who pay attention to the sport properly, who read unbiased reports or journalism or whatever, they get a much broader picture. They see more of the real me, and they make a fair judgment."