Jake Hughes will return to the Formula E grid for the 2026/27 season after signing with American squad CUPRA KIRO.
The British driver will partner Pepe Marti as the championship enters its high-performance GEN4 era, marking its first season competing without a rookie driver.
Hughes brings extensive electric racing experience to the team, having debuted with McLaren during the 2022/23 campaign, securing pole position in just his third race before adding three further poles and a maiden podium in Shanghai.
He spent the 2024/25 season with Maserati MSG Racing, claiming a second career podium in Jeddah, before stepping into reserve roles and competing in the European Le Mans Series for 2025/26.
Beyond Formula E, Hughes served as a Formula 1 test and simulator driver for three seasons, working closely with McLaren through 2025 and 2026.
A new era for KIRO and Hughes
“I’m over the moon to be joining CUPRA KIRO,” Hughes said. “It feels like it’s been a long time coming. The team has built the foundations of something very special and hopefully, we can kick on and bring even more success.
“It’s very exciting to be heading into a new era with the arrival of GEN4 – we’ll have fast cars and a lot of technology which I think will suit my driving style really well. I’m looking forward to Pre-Season Testing, getting in the car, and getting to work. Hopefully we can win some races!”
Team Principal Russell O’Hagan highlighted Hughes’ technical background as a key asset for developing the new 600kW, all-wheel-drive GEN4 machinery.
“We’re very excited to welcome Jake to CUPRA KIRO for the coming season,” O’Hagan stated. “He brings a wealth of Formula E experience, but also a very valuable background in car development having worked closely with some of the leading teams in both Formula E and Formula 1.
“Jake’s one-lap pace has always been a real strength of his, and he has an instinctive feel for extracting performance from a car. With the arrival of GEN4, having a driver who can contribute both on track and through the development process will be invaluable.”
Pre-season testing for the 2026/27 campaign runs from November 16–20 at the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid, ahead of the season opener on December 18–19.
Ticktum’s future in the balance
The signing of Hughes means the end of Dan Ticktum’s time with Kiro, ending months of speculation about the Briton’s whereabouts.
A flurry of rumours have pointed towards Ticktum’s exit from the team, bringing a sad end to a union that yielded two race wins across two seasons.
Amid a late-season reprimand from the team regarding supposed behavior at the Monaco E-Prix weekend, the writing did appear to be on the wall, particularly with the revelation that he had tested for Lola over the summer.
The popular and colourful former Red Bull junior now has little time to find a seat and therefore give himself a chance to show Kiro what it could be missing.
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