ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins failed to score points in the first two Formula 2 rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Frenchman told Feeder Series he and his team have missed some opportunities, but he’s confident that this weekend in Australia will be a good one.

By Steven Walton

Martins entered 2024 as one of the title favourites, having finished the 2023 season as the highest-placed rookie in the standings. This year, he has continued with the reigning teams’ champion ART Grand Prix.

However, the start of the season has been less than ideal. After two races his best results are two 11th-place finishes. He has zero points and sits 18th in the standings.

‘Missed opportunities’

Martins told Feeder Series that some opportunities were missed during those rounds in Bahrain and Jeddah.

“I will say on myself that I know I could have done better in Bahrain, for example, in quali,” he said. Martins qualified eighth in Bahrain, two spots behind his rookie teammate Zak O’Sullivan.

Martins said he was doing a good job in the Bahrain feature race, but then a technical issue forced him to retire, robbing him of a chance to pick up points and experience the new F2 car in race conditions.

In Jeddah, Martins crashed into the wall on the very first lap in the sprint race while battling with Dennis Hauger, again costing him time in the car. In the feature race, he could have scored the final point but he fell to 11th due to a five-second penalty for crashing into Paul Aron.

Summarising his weekend in Jeddah, Martins gave his thoughts on the points-less weekend.

“We tried to improve some stuff, and I think we just missed something there… When you don’t feel good in the car you don’t drive well, you don’t extract 100% of it and then you don’t get the results you want.”

‘A 12-round championship for me’

Martins said he was not concerned about his hopes in the championship, as there still remains 12 rounds left this season. 

“I’m more thinking like a 12-round championship for me, [rather] than 14,” he said.

Following the opening two rounds, the Frenchman said his team sat down to talk honestly about what needed to improve.

“We don’t need to be like to reinvent the world. We don’t need to be a magician… and do magical things — just do better things, which are small things. Better communication, better trust in ourselves, better serenity in our work and then we will get there for sure.”

“I’m confident and happy to be here and I just want to drive and I’m looking forward to the weekend… I believe it’s going to be a good one,” he said.

“I’m really confident in the team, in myself, I know what to do, and now it’s down to this weekend.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency