Dan Ticktum remained defiant after the collision that ended his and DS Penske driver Stoffel Vandoorne’s race in the first Berlin E-Prix of the double-header weekend.
The pair were battling for seventh position when they collided at Turn 4 after the NIO 333 driver opened up his steering with an overtaking Vandoorne about to pass.
The contact between the pair sent both spearing off into the wall and triggered the second of two safety car periods during the race.
This is Vandoorne's first DNF since New York in 2021 ❌ @SABIC #BerlinEPrix pic.twitter.com/AuURwfufQV
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) April 22, 2023
Ticktum was adjudged by the stewards to be at blame and was subsequently awarded a five-place grid drop for tomorrow’s race. Ticktum also received two penalty points meaning that he is now just four away from a potential race ban.
The 23-year-old has starred in the early stages of the race after snatching the lead from fourth on the grid and leading for several laps.
He told The Race that he disagreed with the steward’s decisions saying that he saw it as “a racing incident” and that you could “argue for and against” the culpability of the shunt.
“I’m sure many other people have put other drivers in similar scenarios no matter how experienced or inexperienced they are. It’s just racing,” he added.
“I think that the stewards incorrectly seem to disagree. I’m not going to say too much about what I think of them at the moment because it won’t go down well, but they’re wrong.”
Vandoorne was blunt in his description of the accident, telling The Race that he thought.
“It was quite clear from the video that he decided not to leave me any space,” Vandoorne said.
“He actually opened the steering a little bit to kind of squeeze me but I was fully alongside.
“At some point I was actually a little bit ahead into the corner and he just decided to leave no room.”
😬 Vandoorne and Ticktum continue their discussions out of their cars following their collision.@SABIC #BerlinEPrix pic.twitter.com/PQJ9dZRGWQ
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) April 22, 2023
The DS Penske driver added that he “probably should have known (that Ticktum would squeeze him), but still, you have to be respectful for someone.
“If I have someone alongside me and he’s got enough of his car alongside me, I leave him the room. You may lose a position but in these races you can get them back so easily sometimes.
“You can’t think too much into the moment sometimes, you have to play into the long game.
“You’ve got to be there at the end. It’s a shame because it’s my race gone but it’s his own race was gone as well.”
Ticktum countered that he thought it was a risky place for Vandoorne to try and execute a move, adding that he had just prior to the accident “had some contact with Antonio (Felix da Costa) going into Turn 3 so I was sort of out of shape a little bit, very tight going into the corner.
“For me to bring it further over to the right than I did, I mean I gave a couple of metres but it was obviously not enough.
“It’s very narrow on the exit and I think he [Vandoorne] should have given more space to be honest.”
Describing his meteoric launch off the start-line where he charged from fourth to first Ticktum said that his traction was “very good and everyone seemed to brake early (for Turn 1)
“I know no one wants to lead, it’s kind of potentially not on merit as it looks because I don’t think anyone wants to lead, but I think it was a good start.
“I thought I might as well go for it.
“I under consumed quite a lot at the start of the race. I started to drop back after a few laps as I was going really slow because I was aware that other people would be under consuming potentially even more than me, so I wanted to drop back into the tow, which I did pretty well.”
