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Cupra Kiro Formula E team-mates Dan Ticktum and Pepe Marti have drawn a line under their late-race clash at the Jeddah E-Prix after clearing the air in the hours following Saturday’s round.
Marti was trying to pass Ticktum for fifth place on the penultimate lap at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit when the two came to blows entering the bus stop chicane.
Formula E rookie Marti subsequently brushed the wall at the exit of the corner, but both drivers continued without serious damage to secure a double points finish for the American-flagged team.
Tempers flared in the immediate aftermath of the incident, with both drivers venting their frustration in expletive-laden team radio messages.
However, having got a chance to speak to each other after the race, Marti and Ticktum were willing to bury the hatchet and celebrate their best individual race results of the season.
Marti explained that the clash stemmed from a misunderstanding over energy levels, with TV graphics indicating he had marginally more usable energy than Ticktum in the closing laps.
“We talked very briefly. It was mostly miscommunication because he wasn’t aware that I had more energy. On my side, I wasn’t aware that he had a completely different level of energy than me. So I just went for the move,” Marti told Motorsport.com.
“Obviously, he wasn’t aware that I had more batteries. He just closed the door on me, so no hard feelings.”
Ticktum felt Marti’s attempted overtake was overly optimistic given the circumstances and risked eliminating both drivers from the race.
However, he was willing to look past the incident after speaking with Marti face to face.
“Look, there’s a line with [being] opportunistic – and then he’s just gone a bit beyond it,” Ticktum told Motorsport.com.
“I’ve seen worse moves. But I think on your team-mate in the last laps – even if it’s not on your team-mate – it was just a bit over the line.
“He’s very eager and keen, which is a good thing. But I think as a rookie, you learn where the line is in this category.
“The racing is very strange, with the lifting and everything, and I just don’t think he’s got that one quite right – and he admitted it.
“So it’s just lucky that we both didn’t end up out of the race, because if he locked up on the dirt on the inside and hit me, I think this evening would have been very bad.”
He added: “I’ve spoken to him. I’ve looked him in the eyes and said, ‘Don’t do that again’. So, yeah, but we’re fine. It’s all good. Water under the bridge. It’s okay.”
Marti apologises for radio comments
Marti, 20, came under fire for using a slur after an unofficial clip of his radio exchange went viral on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“We need to have a serious talk,” he told his team over team radio. “I don’t accept that. I may be a rookie but I’m not a r****d. That is a r****d move.”
Appearing for his post-race interview in the media pen, Marti immediately apologised for his comments, saying: “First of all, I need to apologise for the language I used on the radio. I was just heated at the moment. It was not the right words I chose at the time.”
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