Formula E driver Dan Ticktum has questioned the legitimacy of some of the current Formula 1 field, suggesting there are 'a fair few drivers who shouldn't be there'. The Briton rose through the junior categories as part of the Red Bull junior programme, though his early career was never short of controversy. Ticktum was banned from racing for a year for an incident in the United Kingdom in 2014 and although regrouping to become a part of the Red Bull academy, he was let go in 2019. He subsequently joined Williams' driver development programme, only to lose that opportunity in the wake of openly mocking Nicholas Latifi in 2021. But he has again reignited his career after landing in Formula E with NIO 333. Speaking to The Independent ahead of the Berlin E-Prix weekend, Ticktum claimed the majority of the current Formula E grid are more deserving of an F1 seat than some incumbents.
Formula E 'not as demeaning'
“I think pretty much every driver bar a couple could easily be in Formula 1,” said Ticktum. “Obviously, a lot of them have been there and should have been for longer. When you get to this level, we’re all let’s say above 99% of the most talented, but if someone turns up who’s 98.7% with £10m, then that helps, and they can probably do more or less as good a job as the guy that he’s booted out. “I feel like Formula E is one of the only categories in the world where all drivers are paid as real professionals and the fact that we’re all paid speaks for itself really. There’s a fair few Formula 1 drivers who I don’t think should be there, and I think there are other drivers in Formula E who should be there instead. “When I qualify near the back or make a small mistake, it’s like ‘well I’m at the back, but I’m at the back by half a tenth or whatever’. We’re all so close, so it’s not as demeaning if you finish in the back of Formula E, compared to another category.”
Most read
