Martins aiming for strong start after promising testing form

2 March 2023

Victor Martins says he is feeling confident about his Formula 2 debut this weekend in Sakhir, Bahrain and has a good idea of where his strengths and weaknesses already lie.

Having completed pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit back in February, and having had a few weeks to digest all of the data gathered, Martins says he and ART are looking good for Round 1 of 2023.

“I’m feeling great, really excited to begin the season. After three great test days, we had the last two weeks which were important but now it’s time to start to race and start with the serious things. It will be a weekend of discovery for me, all of the procedures, the strategy, the tyres because a test is never the same as a race. Let's see, I'm really excited.”

Three days of testing didn’t represent the first time around the track for Martins. The Frenchman kicked off his F3 title-winning campaign with victory in the 2022 Feature Race. He has fond memories of the venue and says that the layout of the circuit produces a unique challenge.

The ART Grand Prix driver highlighted the impact that the level of tyre degradation can have on the races. Teams will be bracing themselves for high levels of tyre wear due to the abrasive nature of the circuit’s surface, but Martins says he can turn that into a valuable strength come Sunday.

“I really like it because first I won last year in F3, then the track is quite demanding on the tyres also. You can make a difference compared to the others on the degradation side of things, and then in Qualifying, I will say it has a bit of everything. Fast corners, chicane, then medium speed corners and the low speed. I really like it. In the race, you have a lot of opportunities because of the deg in the race to come back or to fight back, so it’s quite interesting and quite fun.

“We have to prepare as much as possible. After Practice, we will see how much deg there is, how fast we will be able to go and how many laps we will be able to do with each tyre compound. In the test, I was trying a lot of things, trying to overtake and race the others and see where I am able to do better than the others. Where I felt comfortable was on the brakes in the first corner.”

Lining up alongside one of the favourites for the title in 2023 in Théo Pourchaire means Martins has a very experienced and valuable teammate alongside him. The all-French line-up at ART is an exciting one, and Martins says it has been important for him to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

With his remaining at ART and with Pourchaire for company, the reigning F3 Champion says that the learning curve has been manageable so far. Maximising the details and raising his levels of confidence will bring better performances, but he feels no pressure of having to deliver having won a title last year.

“It's all about experience first. So for me, I don't have any, the best I can do is to prepare myself as much as possible with my engineer and with my teammate also to give me more experience. I’m learning about the details, watching a lot of races from the past to know also the limit of the tyres and then see the feeling in the in the car out on the track at the moment. I’m trying to be as focused possible and intelligent in the race.

“I don’t feel any pressure because I think when you win a title, it gives you confidence in yourself and then because I’m continuing with ART Grand Prix - we have won it together. So I feel I have the right people behind me, the right support to bring me to the top. For sure, I want to win of course, but I will just take it step by step. First, I need to learn everything, get it so everything is happening naturally and when I’m at this level, I will try and extract and maximise everything, both my potential and support from the team.”