Cupra KIRO Formula E Team has confirmed that Pepe Martí will remain with the team for the 2026/27 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The agreement gives CUPRA KIRO continuity on one side of its driver line-up as Formula E introduces the GEN4 car. The team and championship have not disclosed the financial terms or the length of Martí's agreement beyond the coming season.
Continuity through a technical reset
GEN4 represents a substantial change in Formula E machinery. CUPRA KIRO says the platform will produce up to 600kW, use active all-wheel drive and recover up to 700kW under braking. Keeping a driver who already understands the team's working methods reduces one variable while engineers and operations staff adapt to a new car.
Martí joined CUPRA KIRO for the 2025/26 campaign and finished it as the championship's highest-placed rookie with 66 points, according to the team. His first Formula E podium came in Monaco after starting 15th, and a second-place result followed at Sanya.
Those results matter commercially as well as competitively. They give CUPRA KIRO a young driver with identifiable sporting progress to carry into a new technical era, while giving partners a continuing story rather than another complete reset of team personnel.
A team decision, not a technical guarantee
Team Principal Russell O'Hagan said retaining Martí was a straightforward decision and cited his development, work ethic and maturity. CUPRA Racing also described the renewal as part of the team's longer-term GEN4 project.
Those are company assessments. The announcement does not provide testing data for the new car, confirm the second driver or set a performance target for 2026/27. Continuity may help the transition, but it does not establish how competitive the package will be.
Formula E's official championship site reports that pre-season testing is scheduled for 16-20 November at Jarama, with the season beginning in Jeddah on 18-19 December. Those sessions will provide the first public comparison of how quickly teams have adapted to GEN4.
What the renewal protects
For CUPRA KIRO, the immediate value is retained knowledge. Martí already has a season of experience with the organisation's engineers, simulation processes, race procedures and energy-management approach. That working history can shorten the time required to establish communication around a new car.
For Martí, the renewal avoids changing both team and vehicle generation at the same time. It also keeps him with an organisation that gave him two podiums during his rookie campaign.
The announcement does not identify new sponsors, ownership changes or additional investment. Its substance is the sporting appointment and the operational continuity it gives CUPRA KIRO before a major rules transition.