Ahead of a FIA Formula 2 season finale in which a lot is at stake for him despite being out of the driver’s championship fight, Victor Martins will start second on the grid for the feature race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The ART Grand Prix driver spoke to Feeder Series and selected media after the qualifying session. 

By Grégoire Devaux

After a long season and 26 total races, the F2 drivers’ championship will be decided at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit, where Théo Pourchaire and Frederik Vesti will battle until the last feature race of the season. Entering the season finale with a 25-point lead, Pourchaire couldn’t find the pace in qualifying, dropping to 14th and jeopardising his chances for the remainder of the weekend. 

His championship rival and old teammate Vesti also struggled, setting only the ninth-fastest time of a session dominated by Alpine Academy drivers Jack Doohan, Victor Martins, and Kush Maini. He will, however, be in the best spot to clinch a win in the sprint race tomorrow, as he’ll start second behind Enzo Fittipaldi on the inverted grid.

An ideal weekend so far 

If Pourchaire struggled on a track that had always been challenging for him in the previous season, his teammate Martins had a blast in his maiden qualifying session on such a tough circuit. After topping the free practice session this morning with a time of 1:37:389, the Frenchman once again was the quickest at the beginning of the session, with a lap time of 1:36:692. 

On provisional pole after improving to 1:36:351 at the end of the first set of flying laps, Martins saw Ayumu Iwasa going fastest overall with a gap of only 0.008s as the clock showed a little less than 10 minutes remaining. Soon after, things turned sour for the ART driver, who dropped to third after Doohan’s impressive 1:35:567 lap time put the Australian on pole. Benefiting from a mistake of Iwasa in his last push lap, Martins took second, sitting in between fellow Alpine Academy drivers Doohan and Maini. 

“Finishing P2 is a strong start to the weekend. I’ll have a good opportunity to do well in the feature race and come back in the sprint. The main challenge ahead of the feature race is to get back to it. It’s been two months without driving, we have to find the rhythm, get the strategy well, have the right mindset and approach. We also have to be ready physically,” Martins said.

Two championships still at stake

Sitting fifth in the driver’s championship, Martins can dream of finishing third if everything goes perfectly. However, there’s much more at stake for the French driver. 

Martins is only one point ahead of Oliver Bearman in the rookie championship. Prema Racing struggled a lot in qualifying, having numerous laps deleted for track limit infringements. As a result, Bearman will only start 17th in both races. With Martins starting eighth in the sprint race and second in the feature race, the rookie title seems almost sealed, which would be a great achievement for the 2022 F3 driver’s champion. 

“If I can get the rookie title, of course, I’ll be extremely happy. Let’s see. I will focus on what I can do and control, and then we’ll see where I finish,” he told Feeder Series. 

Apart from the rookie title, Martins will also play a big part in the ART’s final push for the teams’ championship, even more so with Pourchaire’s disappointing qualifying session. The French outfit sits in first ahead of the season finale, with a 26-point gap to Prema Racing. 

With Bearman’s chances to score points in jeopardy and Vesti’s starting ninth in the feature race, ART still has a major advantage and will probably rely a lot on their rookie to seal their first F2 teams’ championship since the new era in 2017. However, speaking to Feeder Series, Martins said that he just wants to stay focused and finish in a dominant fashion. 

“I’m not really thinking about any of it. I want to finish well in the championship; I have the opportunity to get a win, podiums, etc. I’m going into the two races with a clear mindset of just sending it, not thinking anything else, and doing the best job possible. In the end, the rookie title is going to be important, but finishing as the highest Alpine Academy driver isn’t on my mind right now,” he told Feeder Series. 

The importance of Alpine support 

Apart from the teams’ championship and rookie title, Martins could indeed finish as the highest Alpine Academy driver should he overtake Doohan in the standings. The Australian driver is currently sitting in fourth, with a nine-point gap to Martins. Starting on pole for the feature race, the fight could be an interesting one to watch, even if the rookie stated that it’s not on his mind. 

With a 1-2-3 in the qualifying session, Alpine can be proud of its F2 representatives, who were full of praise for the French outfit. 

UNI Virtuosi’s driver and pole man Jack Doohan compared the French team to “home” where he “created great connections with everyone”, a feeling echoed by Victor Martins.

“We get nice support on topics. Whether it is physically, mentally, or technically, they are trying to help us, me, and my team in F2. They also help us grow as drivers and people. 

“I had many opportunities with them in F1 in private tests. They gave me a first taste of what it is to drive in F1 and what’s going to happen if I manage to achieve the results they set for me. They help us to have a great relationship with the F1 team members to create a bond before driving there.”

The surprise of this qualifying session, Maini is finishing the season on a high, maybe by getting extra motivation, as he and Alpine have “a great plan for next year”. The Indian driver also appreciated that “this weekend, there has always been someone from Alpine around my garage, pushing the team. 

“If you feel that something isn’t right or something in which you’re not comfortable, there’s an extra person to help you.” 

The Campos Racing driver has the same dream as everyone, and he intends to make the most of this junior programme. 

“We want to be in an F1 seat one day, so it’s our job to prepare for it.”

Header photo credit: FIA Formula 2