Dan Ticktum has built himself to be a controversial figure in motorsport, but it seems that is starting to get his act together.
The Brit was an exciting talent in his teenage years, being a part of the Red Bull academy and winning the Macau Grand Prix in 2017 and 2018, as well as finishing runner-up in the European Formula 3 Championship.
Ticktum and Red Bull parted ways in mid-2019 as the Brit was in the middle of his season in Super Formula. He subsequently signed for the Williams academy later that year.
However, the 25-year-old was released from his contract in 2021 after he caused controversy on a live stream as he appeared to criticise then Formula 1 driver Nicholas Latifi.
Later that year, Ticktum moved over to Formula E with the then-named NIO 333 FE Team, and it has been a difficult spell in the Brit’s career.
Tom Brooks has claimed that Dan Ticktum has ‘matured’ over his team radio
In his three seasons with the team, now under the name ERT, Ticktum has failed to register a podium and has scored a total of 41 points in his FE career as he has struggled with an underperforming car.
One of the things the Brit is notorious for is his heated moments over the radio, as he can be commonly seen shouting messages to his engineers on the track in frustration.
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Speaking on The Race Formula E Podcast, Sam Smith and FE commentator Tom Brooks discussed Ticktum and ERT’s season, with Smith stating that he was a ‘big disappointment’ this season and that he thought ‘there would be much more from him.’
But despite a challenging year, Brooks claimed Ticktum has calmed down his antics over his radio.
“I will say on the other side though, that he has calmed himself down a lot on team radio,” he said.
“We were listening to it in the commentary box earlier on this year, and he seems to have realized the damage that the public sort of messages that were going out.
“Great though they are from a broadcast perspective and for social engagement online, he doesn’t do any favours in terms of, you know, getting a factory seat and you saw Unplugged, Roger Griffith is saying, ‘you wouldn’t sign him to a factory, would you?
“But he seems to have calmed that down a little bit now and seems to have matured in that area.”
Dan Ticktum has been struggling in Formula E
ERT enjoyed success in FE when they went under their previous name China Racing in the inaugural season in 2014/15, as Nelson Piquet Jr won the drivers’ championship.
Nowadays, the team is struggling at the back of the field, which Ticktum has had to endure in his three seasons with them.
In his debut season in 2021/22, he scored just one point in Rome, while his teammate Oliver Turvey finished seventh, culminating in the team’s only points finishes that season.
The following year was much better, as Ticktum grabbed seven points finishes and a highest position of sixth at both Cape Town and Monaco, outperforming his teammate Sergio Sette Camara.
This season, it was the other way round; Sette Camara outqualified the Brit 11-5 in Season 10 and appeared in the points three times compared to Ticktum’s one, but the latter still beat the former in the standings by one point with his fourth-place finish in Misano.