Dan Ticktum produces breathtaking F1 record attempt in Formula E Gen4

Dan Ticktum produced a breathtaking attempt to break Formula 1's record for the fastest single-seater up the iconic Goodwood hill, falling just short in Formula E's brand-new Gen4.

Despite Formula E's new car still being in development and not set to race for the first time until December, the all-electric series took it to the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend. In addition to several demonstration runs, Formula E entered the car into the Shoot-Out, the event's annual timed competition.

On what was a hot weekend, Ticktum, who tested the car just once ahead of Goodwood, improved with every run. Formula E had its sights set on the Goodwood single-seater record, which has been held by an F1 car since 1999.

The 27-year-old record was set in McLaren's title-winning MP4/13 from 1998 with a time of 41.6s. It was achieved by former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld, while fellow ex-F1 driver Max Chilton holds the outright Goodwood record with a 39.08s run in the all-electric McMurtry Speirling.

Despite an exceptional effort in the Shoot-Out final on Sunday, Ticktum finished second after posting a 42.46s run, just 0.86s shy of the F1 record. Five-time Goodwood winner Romain Dumas claimed victory in a heavily modified Ford Mustang Mach-E with a time of 41.98s.

An incredibly dusty, slippery and dirty track surface did not work in Ticktum's favour, while the hot weather left the grass extremely dry, meaning debris continued to blow and be dragged onto the course by other cars.

Nevertheless, it was an excellent demonstration of what Formula E's next-generation car is capable of, with the finished product set to be even quicker.

"We could have waited. Instead, we did what racers do. We brought a development car to one of the world’s greatest motorsport events and put it to the test," said Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds.

"To see a car still months away from its race debut, driven by someone competing at Goodwood for the first time, push one of the greatest hill climb drivers in history to within half a second of victory is an extraordinary achievement. 

"Every engineer, manufacturer, partner and member of the Formula E family should be immensely proud of what we’ve achieved this weekend. We’ll be back."

Watch Ticktum's effort in the shoot-out final below!