After a successful weekend of highs for ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins at the F2 Saudi Arabian GP. Martins continued the momentum throughout the weekend earning himself a P3 finish at the Feature Race to end the weekend. It would also be his first podium finish of the 2025 season.
Martins used experience to strengthen 2025 Jeddah Round performance
When Martins first drove at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for his first Saudi Arabian GP during his rookie season back in 2023. He had DNFed the race, the following year he finished just outside of points in P11. One would think that having experience at a track gives a driver an advantage.
Martins however confessed that it didn’t directly help him as a driver in the car. He even added that having driven at the circuit before. He questioned his decisions more compared to his rookie self.
“Yeah I think it’s a bit the same like in quali I don’t think it’s actually making a big difference because yeah I remember 2023 straight from lap one I was on the pace the car was amazing and in quali managed to do pole by quite a big gap so definitely in quali I don’t think it’s it’s changing.”
“Sometimes when you do too many years you can ask yourself too many questions actually compared to a rookie. Which is just sending it like I did in 2023 without expectation without actually any fear or any doubt.”
Having reference data and rookies on track
So how did having prior experience at the track help the Frenchman against his rookie competitors? Especially when it came to tyre strategy.
Having past data to refer to with the team did help ART Grand Prix make better strategy calls as a team. It was also an opportunity for Martin himself to reflect on how he could improve. As he reviewed his mistakes from his past runs at the Saudi Arabian GP.
“In the race definitely for the tyres how you manage it you know that maybe last year you struggled in in these places with the car with the setup so of course me staying with ART we we look at this data we we used it in our advantage to just have a better car today or also myself to know what I was doing wrong last year.”
“But yeah definitely in the race for sure it’s I wouldn’t say helping but you can use this experience as an advantage compared to others. But I still believe when you are a rookie sometimes it’s good like you have no pressure and no expectation you just go and sometimes us as experienced driver we have the the year before where we had maybe deg and then we expect deg for this year so we have we are like on the back foot while in 2023 I was just sending it and sometimes I was much weaker than anyone else so that’s just adaptation.”
He also didn’t discount the rookies as he added:
“I think the the field is is really talented so for sure. We have some rookies that are pushing us but it’s good.”
Struggling to extract pace from the car
The weekend prior to the Saudi Arabian GP, Martins had finished P5 at the Bahrain GP. This was after struggling in the last few laps despite his starting the race in P2. There were other factors such as the front-wing damage he sustained during the start of the race that definitely affected his performance.
Speaking on his performance during both weekend, Martins said Bahrain and Jeddah had different problems. Bahrain was definitely a much more difficult weekend for him. He also spoke on how he had pace on both weekend, just not the best situations on track.
“I think it’s two different race I would say Bahrain we we tried something not impossible but let’s say we undercut by five laps I think every driver so it was quite optimistic. I got quite a bit of deg but let’s say I put myself in that situation but in Bahrain with a bad start and we tried to recover with an opportunity to undercut and and it didn’t work basically but I think the pace was not that bad let’s say if you take out this five lap difference with the fuel . Here I don’t think was was negative neither I think option was really good and then prime I think it’s tough when you are behind.”
Martins on the car’s pace and potential during the Saudi Arabian GP
“I think he was Jak was quick also maybe had a bit in his pocket a bit of lap time I think I probably had a bit also if he was going quicker with a bit more gap between us so definitely I think the the pace was was not bad again it’s just we need to fine-tune some some areas on the car also myself figure out where I can improve but definitely I think the last few laps he was too far Richard was an option I had a big gap with with Leo behind I didn’t take any risk I had to bring a P3 home if he was actually trying something Leo behind I would have been a lot faster for sure I had I had still tyres in the pocket.”
Physical challenges faced at the Saudi Arabian GP and its impact on Martins
The Feature Race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit unfolded under expected conditions—dry and humid. On Sunday, temperatures in Saudi Arabia soared to 34°C (93.2°F), adding to the already intense challenge of the circuit’s high-speed corners and raised kerbs. The heat and humidity pushed drivers to their physical limits. When asked about the race’s difficulty, Martins said he remained so mentally focused throughout the sessions that he barely noticed any physical strain. However, he admitted the heat hit him as soon as he stepped out of the car at the finish.
“when you are focused you don’t actually you know kind of feel how much physically it’s hard.”
“So for sure physically the the hardest is I would say jumping in the car and getting out of the car. With the heat and every time you cross the line and you start breathing again it’s where it is actually really hot.”
Martins was locked in on the race
In fact, Martins focused so intensely on chasing down Jak Crawford ahead of him that the laps seemed to fly by.
“I actually remember it was I asked my engineer how many laps remaining and he probably told me 12. I asked again at some point and he told me like six laps to go and I was like wait there has been six laps gone and I didn’t actually realised it.”
“Probably when you get into a rhythm where I had Jak in front of me having the same gap. I was not sleeping of course but you know when you you just get into a rhythm where you just do laps after laps and and at some point you realise and you’re like wait there is Richard that needs to pit he was quick.”
