Ticktum admits lack of F1 opportunity partly “self-inflicted”

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In the round-up: Formula E rookie Dan Ticktum says he recognises a lack of opportunity for him to move into Formula 1 was partly his own responsibility.

In brief

Ticktum admits lack of F1 opportunity partly “self-inflicted”

Formula E rookie Dan Ticktum says he accepts that he holds some responsibility for why he could not progress from Formula 2 into Formula 1.

Ticktum has joined the Nio team for this upcoming Formula E season after two years racing in F2. He was signed as a Williams development driver before being dropped from the programme late last year. Ticktum was also previously a Red Bull Junior Team member

Asked if he believes more Formula 2 drivers will move into the all-electric championship in future, Ticktum says the series could become more attractive as competition over seats in Formula 1 remains fierce.

“I mean, I try and dodge the Formula 1 thing as much as possible, but, look, there’s only so many seats there,” Ticktum said. “The stars have got to align absolutely perfectly for that to happen. [There are a] number of reasons why mine didn’t. Some self-inflicted. Some not.

“But I think, as we all know, the world’s going in this direction – let alone motorsport. I feel like, from an innovation point, I just feel like Formula E is going to become more and more relevant over the years. Like I said, F1 didn’t quite work out for me, but I feel like there’s very few places better to be than Formula E to be honest.”

Quotes: Hazel Southwell

Mercedes junior Antonelli takes first F4 win in thrilling finish

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the opening round of the Formula 4 UAE championship in a dramatic finish that saw him take the chequered flag by just three-thousandths of a second.

Antonelli, who is part of the Mercedes junior driver programme, won by the slightest of margins from Prema team mates Aiden Neate and James Wharton, with the trio covered by just over a tenth of a second.

The 15-year-old is racing his first full season of cars this year after an extensive karting background. He had previous competed in the Italian F4 series last year, taking three podiums.

Antonelli joined the Mercedes junior driver programme in 2019 after attracting the attention of F1 team principal Toto Wolff.

Trident sign Maloney for 2022 Formula 3 season

Trident have announced that 18-year-old driver Zane Maloney will race with them in the upcoming FIA Formula 3 championship.

Maloney, who races under the flag of Barbados, joins Jonny Edgar as two of the Italian team’s three driver line up for the series.

Maloney’s resume includes the 2019 British Formula 4 title with Carlin and a fourth in the Formula Regional European series last year, in which he took seven podiums and one race win.

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Comment of the day

With the announcement that Formula E has signed a multi-year broadcast deal on Channel 4, @geekzilla9000 believes this will help to grow the profile of the series in the UK.

I think this is great news, I really hope this will give Formula E a chance to really grow through exposure and good racing.

Before I used to have to hunt it out after seeing on a site such as this that there was a race on and would only catch the occasional race. It didn’t feel as though it was treated as a ‘proper’ racing formula, but this broadcasting deal may well see the start of Formula E gaining further traction in the UK. Especially to casual motorsport fans who maybe don’t have access to the Premium services to watch F1.
@geekzilla9000

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Nathan and Salut Gilles!

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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14 comments on “Ticktum admits lack of F1 opportunity partly “self-inflicted””

  1. In reference to COTD Formula E’s switch to Channel 4 is a negative for me as i used to watch it catch up via BBC iPlayer which offered a 1080p/50fps stream that was fantastic quality.

    Channel 4’s All4 streaming service however only offers SD streams, Is less reliable & the way they implement the ad’s cam sometimes cause issues.

    I personally would have preferred to see it stay on the BBC because of this. It’s crazyhow far ahead iPlayer is compared to the similar services from ITV, channel 4 & even Sky.

  2. I’ll try Formula E again this year. I’ve had it available for several years as it’s broadcast in Australia on Foxtel which I pay for for F1. I’ve tried in the past and just couldn’t get into it. A bit like when a friend recommends a great movie or band and you just don’t share the same enthusiasm. It looks like it’ll be here for good so I’ll try to jump onboard.

    Also that tweet in relation to the replica helmet is hilarious! I hope they haven’t ordered minichamps’ race-aged Hamilton from Turkey 2020! They’ll be dreadfully upset…

  3. Oh, those early 90’s F1 cars…. So beautiful to look at and listen to.
    F1…. What happened to you? Look what you’ve become. :(

    1. I think the main issue with today’s cars is the length

      Look at this

      https://www.instagram.com/p/CXtZrwws4wE/?utm_medium=copy_link

    2. F1 got old. It’s had a lot of expensive work done over the years, but it will never look or sound as good as it did in its prime.

    3. The early 90s cars are probably my favourite looking era of F1 cars.

      I always preferred the low noses as I think it just gives the car a more flowing look than the raised one’s. Although even though the nose of the 1991/92 Jordan was more raised than most I think it looked better than the other raised noses because of the way it was done by having the wing flow upto the nose rather than having the pillars hanging down that became the standard way of doing it.

      And I always preferred the 2m width & dimensions of the front/rear wings back then along with the pre ’93 wider rear tyres.

      1. @stefmeister
        F1 cars pre-1993 were wider than 2m! They got limited to 2m for 1993. The 1992 Williams was 212cm wide if I remeber correctly. And I totally agree with you – those dimensions were perfect, especially the proportion between the front and rear tyres (together with the rear tyres width). Also, the front wing fitting inbetween the wheels looks so much better than being as wide as the car and obscuring the wheels.

  4. I agree with S’s sentiment. One of those slider bar comparisons between an old F1 car and one of the heavyweights they drive now might be interesting, if also a bit disheartening.

    1. I think the main issue with today’s cars is the length

      Look at this

      https://www.instagram.com/p/CXtZrwws4wE/?utm_medium=copy_link

  5. Good for Ticktum to finally land on planet earth and acknowledge what has been obvious for years. I wonder if he got a professional help or come to the realization by himself.

  6. Doesn’t seem like Ticktum’s really acknowledged anything. “Some self-inflicted, some not” isn’t exactly owning up to much. Making it sound like it’s not entirely his own fault for mucking up his career.

    Then going on to applaud himself for getting into FE.

    Anyone with an attitude of his who doesn’t respect safety and the danger of the sport, wilfully crashing into others deserves to be nowhere near a racetrack.

    The FIA needs to wake up.

    1. Well said.

    2. Yeah, it’s like when someone says something offensive that they are told they need to apologise for.

      “I’m sorry you’re offended.” ie If I did something you didn’t, that’s not really my fault.

    3. Ticktum seems like the worst sort of person: Quick to blame others for his mistakes and quicker to take credit for things that go well for him.

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