Jake Hughes will return to the Components E grid for the 2026/27 season after signing with American squad CUPRA KIRO.
The British driver will accomplice Pepe Marti because the championship enters its high-performance GEN4 period, marking its first season competing with no rookie driver.
Hughes brings intensive electrical racing expertise to the crew, having debuted with McLaren throughout the 2022/23 marketing campaign, securing pole place in simply his third race earlier than including three additional poles and a maiden podium in Shanghai.
He spent the 2024/25 season with Maserati MSG Racing, claiming a second profession podium in Jeddah, earlier than moving into reserve roles and competing within the European Le Mans Sequence for 2025/26.
Past Components E, Hughes served as a Components 1 take a look at and simulator driver for 3 seasons, working carefully with McLaren by way of 2025 and 2026.
A brand new period for KIRO and Hughes
“I’m over the moon to be becoming a member of CUPRA KIRO,” Hughes stated. “It feels prefer it’s been a very long time coming. The crew has constructed the foundations of one thing very particular and hopefully, we will kick on and produce much more success.
“It’s very thrilling to be heading into a brand new period with the arrival of GEN4 – we’ll have quick automobiles and numerous expertise which I feel will go well with my driving model very well. I’m wanting ahead to Pre-Season Testing, getting within the automotive, and attending to work. Hopefully we will win some races!”
Crew Principal Russell O’Hagan highlighted Hughes’ technical background as a key asset for creating the brand new 600kW, all-wheel-drive GEN4 equipment.
“We’re very excited to welcome Jake to CUPRA KIRO for the approaching season,” O’Hagan acknowledged. “He brings a wealth of Components E expertise, but in addition a really useful background in automotive growth having labored carefully with among the main groups in each Components E and Components 1.
“Jake’s one-lap tempo has all the time been an actual power of his, and he has an instinctive really feel for extracting efficiency from a automotive. With the arrival of GEN4, having a driver who can contribute each on monitor and thru the event course of might be invaluable.”
Pre-season testing for the 2026/27 marketing campaign runs from November 16–20 on the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid, forward of the season opener on December 18–19.
Ticktum’s future within the stability
The signing of Hughes means the top of Dan Ticktum’s time with Kiro, ending months of hypothesis in regards to the Briton’s whereabouts.
A flurry of rumours have pointed in the direction of Ticktum’s exit from the crew, bringing a tragic finish to a union that yielded two race wins throughout two seasons.
Amid a late-season reprimand from the crew concerning supposed habits on the Monaco E-Prix weekend, the writing did look like on the wall, significantly with the revelation that he had examined for Lola over the summer time.
The favored and vibrant former Crimson Bull junior now has little time to discover a seat and due to this fact give himself an opportunity to indicate Kiro what it may very well be lacking.
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