ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins has plenty to prove after enduring a difficult sophomore Formula 2 season and departing the Alpine Academy. Feeder Series spoke to him about how he’s handling the pressure as the 2025 season begins.

By Calla Kra-Caskey 

In 2023, Martins finished fifth in the F2 drivers’ championship, taking top rookie honours ahead of 2025 F1 drivers Ollie Bearman and Isack Hadjar. He entered 2024 as a title favourite, but his season didn’t go to plan. ART Grand Prix seemed to struggle with the new car, and Martins couldn’t make up for his poor start to the season, eventually finishing seventh. 

This winter, Martins parted ways with Alpine, who support Kush Maini and Gabriele Minì in F2 and have Franco Colapinto, Paul Aron, Ryō Hirakawa and Maini on their reserve roster. Despite no longer having F1 team ties, Martins chose to return for a third year in F2.

“I could’ve maybe got an opportunity to be already a professional driver in other categories, but I was not personally interested into that,” Martins said. “I didn’t have any problem going into a third year of Formula 2. … I still feel like I have everything in my hands to access Formula 1.”

The same decision didn’t help recent F2 champions Felipe Drugovich and Théo Pourchaire, who won as a Sauber junior, find F1 seats. At 23 years old, Martins knows that his time in the series, which he calls “the best championship” to prepare for F1, is coming to a close. 

“It’s my last chance. I accept it. I know it. It’s the reality,” he told Feeder Series. 

As an experienced driver and proven race winner, Martins is one of the clear title favorites heading into the first round, but he doesn’t plan on letting that status affect his driving.

“I felt more pressure last year than now,” he said. “I just feel like we are in a different place compared to where we were with ART today. 

“We weren’t knowing what we were doing last year. You had really not a lot of driving with the new car, not a lot of data for the team, and now with the season we did we learn a lot. So for sure, we know what we are doing now.” 

Martins first joined ART in 2020 and won the Formula Renault Eurocup title with them. He reunited with the French team in 2022 to take the F3 championship and has been with the team ever since. He said he was confident they could bounce back from a difficult 2024. 

“For sure the team will do a great job. During the winter they worked a lot, and we confirmed what we saw during the winter on the track in Barcelona, and we’re happy where we are,” he said. 

“When you’ve been three years in the same championship, you have no more pressure because no one is watching you anymore,” he said. “I’m just taking this one like this, just trying to enjoy.” 

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency