Victor Martins came agonisingly close to securing his first pole position of the 2025 F2 season at the Austrian GP, missing out on the top spot by a mere 0.014 seconds to Leonardo Fornaroli in Friday’s qualifying session.
The ART Grand Prix driver, who secured his fifth front-row start of the campaign, reflected on the familiar frustration of coming tantalisingly close to pole position whilst maintaining his characteristic optimism about converting his strong qualifying form into race success.
The margin
“It’s quite familiar to me to be that close from pole, but I will say once again, when you’re in the top three, it’s what matters,” Martins explained after the session. “In Quali, on Friday, you just need to deliver as much to be there, and then the weekend really starts from now. So definitely, we did a good day.”
The Frenchman’s assessment of his lap revealed the fine margins that separate pole position from second place in Formula 2’s competitive field. “Still frustrating for sure, because I feel there was a few mistakes there that I could have easily win 14 thousand, but I think we all have a bit of margin and mistakes on our laps,” he candidly admitted.
Despite the near-miss, Martins was pleased with his team’s recovery from what he described as being “a bit off the pace” at the previous round in Barcelona. “I think the team is doing a great job. We bounced back from Barcelona… but now we are back in form.”
Qualifying consistency without victory
The front-row start marked Martins’ sixth top-three qualifying performance of the season, highlighting his remarkable consistency in one-lap pace. When asked about his qualifying form, he was emphatic about his speed over a single lap.
“No, I think we’re definitely not lacking one lap pace. The car feels always great in qualifying. I feel I’m doing a really good job to be consistent,” Martins stated. “In F2, it’s tough sometimes to understand what’s happening every time, and I think that’s the most difficult thing, is to put the car every time in the same window in quali.”
“I think with the team, we have a good approach in terms of approaching qualifying, and what to be focused on, the little details that can make the difference with tyre prep, also the brakes to get them before the lap.”
Converting pace into points
However, Martins’ qualifying excellence has yet to translate into consistent race success, with only one podium finish to show for his impressive grid positions this season. When pressed on what needs to change to convert his strong starts into championship points, he offered a brutally honest self-assessment.
“There have been a bit of everything. I have sometimes taken too many risks. Sometimes, if I would have done differently, it would have been to maybe approach differently a battle with someone else, just knowing that this guy is aggressive or this guy is not.”
“Sometimes, just pure luck was not on our side. It’s just this little… When racing is so close, sometimes you can get it right.”
“I know in quali, for example, if I was starting P1, probably it would have made a different weekend. I think I was not on pole for a few thousands for the same thing. It’s motorsport. It’s like this. You just need to understand where it’s coming from, move on, work on it, and trust the process.”
Technical preparation and team philosophy
Martins provided insight into the rapid turnaround between practice and qualifying on Friday, explaining the analytical process that drives performance improvements. “Making and giving feedback from the car, how it felt in FP, looking back to the session, looking at on-boards,” he said. “If there are some, sometimes there are not so many. Looking at, for sure, the quality of the year before, or two years before, and definitely looking at data, driving, how we can do better with the same car, same grip.”
When asked by Pit Debrief regarding his team’s particular strengths, Martins highlighted their qualifying prowess whilst acknowledging areas for improvement. “I think in our championship, we have been really strong in qualifying and I felt really comfortable reaching the limits with the car and extracting the most out of it. So definitely, I think that the car suits me for qualifying,” he elaborated.
“In the race, I just feel also like it was really strong. Maybe some tracks we had a bit more tyre deg, so maybe we are more aggressive on certain things. But definitely, we know what we can improve, what we need to work on.”
A challenge in Austria
Looking ahead to the race weekend at the Red Bull Ring, Martins appeared unfazed by the circuit’s unique characteristics. When asked by Pit Debrief about the aerodynamic challenges posed by the Austrian venue’s elevation and high-speed corners, he took a pragmatic approach to slipstream tactics.
“I think I wouldn’t mind to be either in clean air or have someone in front just to make some difference in the straights,” he explained. “I think it’s also, you know, in F2 we don’t have so much data, so much information of exactly what we can win and what we lose in terms of downforce on the car.”
With another front-row start secured and his team showing renewed form after Barcelona’s disappointment, Martins remains focused on the ultimate goal of a podium finish at the F2 Austrian GP, after qualifying P2. “Definitely, we have different philosophies… But then you need to adapt to the car you have and stick with it.”
