Pepe Martí secured a career-best P2 result at the 2026 Formula E Lianxin Sanya E-Prix following a post-race penalty for Felipe Drugovich.
Martí’s race was a recovery drive from the start as he lined up P18, serving a five-place grid penalty from the previous Monaco E-Prix despite qualifying P14. He climbed through the field during the opening laps before adopting an energy-saving strategy and taking his first Attack Mode. However, on Lap 19, the Spaniard sustained significant rear-end damage in an unavoidable incident at Turn 9.
After repairs during the red flag period, Martí used his energy advantage and final Attack Mode to charge through the field before claiming P3 after a penalty for António Félix da Costa. Later, a post-race five-second time penalty for Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich lifted Martí up to P2.
Martí on his “unexpected” podium finish
Speaking before the news of his P2 promotion, Martí shared his delight at initially securing a P3 podium after a difficult but well-executed race built on strong pace, energy management, and strategy.
“I’m very happy with our performance today,” he said. “To get a podium after starting from 18th on the grid was unexpected, but the race played out really well. We didn’t expect Andretti to do the strategy that they did, but the pace that they set played into our advantage because we were able to save more energy than the guys at the front.”
He continued: “The performance was there, the car was quick, and the strategy was on point today – we took our second Attack Mode at the perfect time because if we had waited until later, we would have lost the final minute under the Full Course Yellow and therefore, missed out on the podium. Everyone in the team did a fantastic job this weekend and continue to work flawlessly week in, week out. I can’t wait for Shanghai.”
A comeback drive at the Sanya E-Prix
Recovery drives have become a key feature of Martí’s Formula E debut season, having climbed from P20 to P7 at the Mexico E-Prix and, more recently, from P15 to P3 in Round 9 at the Monaco E-Prix. Now, this result marks the 21-year-old’s seventh points finish this season, as he sits P11 in the Drivers’ Standings with 58 points.
Further reflecting on his overtaking drive, Martí said: “Yeah, very happy. I mean, that means probably we’re in like top, top two or something in the, in the overtaking, uh, overtaking speak. Uh, yeah, I don’t know if it’s called leaderboard. So, um, yeah, very, very happy. Uh, no, honestly, and the race itself has been very, really good.”
“We, we did a good job. This is definitely the weekend where I’ve performed the best in FP1, FP2. And that obviously just translates to being quick and being able to move forward. You know, in, in Berlin, we struggled and we ended up struggling in Monaco. We were quick. We ended up going forward and the same has happened here. So I just hope that we can continue on this trend of being quick and being able to perform.”
A team effort
Martí concluded by praising the CUPRA KIRO team for their hard work during the red flag period, as their repairs proved crucial to his 2026 Formula E Sanya E-Prix podium success.
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, like I always say, this is a team job. You know, the motorsport is, is, is a place where I can’t do the job without my mechanics. They can’t do the job without engineers. You know, it’s a, it’s a team job. And today, you know, it really comes to show when, you know, you’re sitting with a bent push rod and the mechanics do the job in eight minutes, they change it, you know, you’re back on track and then yeah, every department did their job.”
He added: “You know, strategy was good. Energy was good. The car was strong. We managed to go forward. So yeah, you know, my mechanics, Nick, Dan, and Geordie, they did a fantastic job.”
