Major Formula E shock as Cupra Kiro reveal Dan Ticktum replacement

Jake Hughes will make his return to Formula E with Cupra Kiro for the 2026/27 season, confirming that Dan Ticktum has departed the team.

The British driver will partner Pepe Martí as Cupra Kiro enters a new era with the introduction of the Gen4 car.

Hughes made his Formula E debut with McLaren in the 2022/23 season and wasted little time making an impression, taking pole position for just his third race in the series. He added a second pole in Monaco later that rookie campaign, before two further poles followed in his second season and a maiden podium arrived at the 2024 Shanghai E-Prix.

For 2024/25, Hughes moved to Maserati MSG Racing and picked up a second career podium in Jeddah. But he was left without a race seat last season after Maserati's programme became Citroën, with Hughes instead taking on reserve driver duties at Mahindra.

Alongside his Formula E commitments, Hughes also spent time away from the all-electric series competing in the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series, winning the 4 Hours of Silverstone earlier this year. He has also held test and simulator roles in Formula 1 for three seasons, most recently with McLaren across 2025 and 2026.

However, he has been hungry to return to Formula E and is thrilled to finally get the move over the line.

"I'm over the moon to be joining Cupra Kiro. It feels like it's been a long time coming," said Hughes.

"The team has built the foundations of something very special and hopefully, we can kick on and bring even more success. It's very exciting to be heading into a new era with the arrival of Gen4, we'll have fast cars and a lot of technology which I think will suit my driving style really well."

"I'm looking forward to pre-season testing, getting in the car, and getting to work. Hopefully we can win some races!"

Why Cupra Kiro chose Jake Hughes

Team principal Russell O'Hagan said Hughes' experience across both Formula E and F1 made him a valuable addition heading into the Gen4 era.

"We're very excited to welcome Jake to Cupra Kiro for the coming season. He brings a wealth of Formula E experience, but also a very valuable background in car development having worked closely with some of the leading teams in both Formula E and Formula 1."

"Jake's one-lap pace has always been a real strength of his, and he has an instinctive feel for extracting performance from a car. With the arrival of Gen4, having a driver who can contribute both on track and through the development process will be invaluable, and from what we've seen so far, the characteristics of the Gen4 should suit Jake's intuitive driving style very well."

"Having Jake alongside Pepe also gives us a different dynamic to previous seasons, marking our first season as Kiro Race Co without a rookie driver. Having conducted some pre-season work with us last year, Jake already knows the team well and is settling in quickly."

"We've been working incredibly hard the last few months on everything Gen4, and now, we're looking forward to getting Jake in the car, hitting the track, and seeing what we can achieve together."

In addition to announcing the signing of Hughes, Cupra Kiro unveiled its livery for the upcoming season at the Paris Motor Show. 

See images below!