ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins returned to the top three in Qualifying at the F2 Qatar GP, securing P3 before being promoted to P2 following Ollie Goethe’s three-place grid penalty for both races. Throughout the season, one of the Frenchman’s standout strengths has been his qualifying pace. Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference, Martins spoke to Pit Debrief and other media outlets as he reflected on his session and looked ahead to what the weekend holds for both himself and ART.
Sights set on ending the season on a high
Although Martins has frequently been hindered by misfortune this season — sometimes through no fault of his own, and occasionally by his own mistakes — he admitted there’s always room for stronger results today. Nonetheless, proud of his return to the top three, he said: “I would say in terms of results, you always want to be on pole, to be up there. But in terms of the development and the evolution throughout the day, I think I’m super proud of the team, of the engineers, the mechanics.”
“Myself, to give the right feedback from FP, also from first set to second set. Because honestly, after the first set, I was not feeling that the fight for pole or fight for a top three was in my hands. And I wanted actually to maximise what I had in the car. But definitely, I think in qualifying, we come back in the top three form.”
He’d acknowledged several recent setbacks. However, despite these frustrations, Martins stressed that the underlying pace has always been present and believes he and ART are ready to finally piece it all together in the final two rounds.
“But I think lately in Baku or in Monza or even Hungary, it was not really on our hands. Sometimes, you know, in Monza, you got a red flag. We couldn’t do a lap. In Baku, it was before. Then I had my lap deleted because of the crash. In the end, the performance has always been there.”
“In Quali, it’s just now a matter of putting everything together in the race. Because for sure, this year has been tough on a lot of subjects. But definitely, I think we are ready for the last two rounds to click things together.”
“When it mattered, I didn’t do a mistake” – Martins on finding improvement throughout the session
He explained that his first run felt uncomfortable, so he focused on doing a clean banker lap and was satisfied with how he’d managed it. For his second run, having requested several changes that were made to his car, Martins and ART had to readjust their approach and run plan when they couldn’t head out first on track.
“I think on my first run, I was not feeling really comfortable in the car. I was just trying to say to myself, just do your job, maximise, don’t do any mistakes. That’s what I have done. I was quite happy about myself. Then we went to the second run where I asked a lot of changes. We couldn’t go out first on track, so we had to readapt our strategy and run plan.”
On his second run, he explained that the car felt significantly better that fuelled the belief he could challenge for pole. Though he pushed to the limits a bit too hard, Martins delivered a clean final attempt and noted that taking risks is sometimes necessary.
Martins continued: “And then when I first did my first lap, the first few corners, I felt the car was much better. And then you start to believe that you can fight for pole. Then I think I pushed a tiny bit too much in T15, went a bit wide, tried to keep it on track. At least one wheel on the wide line.”
“And then the second lap was for me the one that I was going to get to fight for pole. So in the end, when it mattered, I didn’t do a mistake. I just tried at some point. And I think you need to try sometimes.”
Martins and ART have discovered the reasons behind the lack of race pace
Martins last stood on the podium during the Spa-Francorchamps Sprint Race, where he secured a strong second-place finish. The Frenchman explained that since the mid-season, ART has made real progress in regards to their race-package. While the results haven’t reflected it, he noted that the team understands when the pace was there and when circumstances have held them back. With recent improvements, he believes it’s time to show that performance on track.
“I think lately, from mid-season, we started to really improve our package for the races. Definitely the results didn’t show that. But I know what happened. Maybe not everyone outside the team knows and will understand everything. But definitely internally in the team, we know. And we know that when something was happening, then we had the car.”
“And when nothing was happening, we were just struggling with pace. So in the end, the results were never there. But definitely lately, we have put a lot of focus on the car performance in the race. And I think we can see some good things, some positives. And I think it’s time to show it on track.”
Adapting to conditions between sessions
When asked about the changing conditions between sessions, he admitted the FP-to-Qualifying transitions in Qatar is the toughest of the season. Ultimately, Martins explained that it comes down to adaptation and trusting the car, even when uncertainty remains.
“Yeah, I think for sure it’s difficult. Because I think it’s the biggest step from FP to Quali that we have all year. Especially because we go from hard to soft. And the hard compound is difficult to make it work. Especially with hot conditions. A lot of energy from turn 12 to 14. I think it’s quite tough to make it work there. I think in the end it’s adaptation. Just going for it. Trusting the car sometimes. Without knowing what’s going to happen at the next corner.”
He continued by emphasising the importance of preparation between each session, especially at a track like Lusail. Martins said it becomes a matter of committing, trusting the car and finding the improvements from lap to lap.
“But definitely the preparation from FP to Quali is important. I think even if, for example, Leo [Fornaroli] didn’t drive on the track. He looked at many data, many videos. And we all do the same. So, in the end, we are kind of prepared already. We know where to hit our marks. And then we just need to commit to it. And trust the car.”
“Then, of course, from lap 1 to lap 2, you need to make some progress. And you need to have this lucidity in the car to make the right things. But in the end, I personally really like it. I think we get only two times that we drive in the night. Jeddah and here. Abu Dhabi is sunset, so it’s not exactly the same as here. But it’s enjoyable.”
Replicating results from 2024
Martins matched his 2024 Qualifying performance by qualifying P3 once again. “I think it’s a pure coincidence, I don’t think it’s just showing anything more than that. I think today we were 70% of the day not in the fight for the top three because I think we were not maximising everything.”, said Martins.
“We were not happy about the package and where we were, but definitely we stayed calm. I try to, also for my future, to work on the car, to improve myself, to try to also accept things like it’s coming to me. So if I don’t have the car, I just need to deliver the best that I can and not more because in the end more is leading to mistakes. So I just tried today to keep it like this.”
The Frenchman attributed his P3 qualifying to finding extra potential during his final run, calling his replicated results “a pure coincidence”. He expressed his optimism heading into both races, hoping to change his fate and bad luck he faced last year.
“And then when I felt that I had more potential, then I pushed more and then we ended up in P3 today. So I think it’s just a pure coincidence. After, for the race, I hope I will get better results because last year I think I got a contact with someone in the Sprint and then in the Feature Race I got an engine issue and I had to retire.”
“So I hope it’s going to be better this weekend, but I have no doubt.”
Managing tyre degradation will define both races
As Pirelli has introduced a softer compound for the softer of the two tyres this year, Martins noted how the track’s surface is extremely demanding on tyres and recalled the tyre decisions they’d made for the Sprint Race last year.
“Yeah, I think like they said, it’s a really demanding track on the tyres. I have been the one, I think, in the Sprint Race last year to try the mediums. It didn’t work. It didn’t work for Isack [Hadjar] neither. I think we were the only two. Now we are on the soft, so I don’t think it’s going to be a question.”
Ultimately, the Frenchman believes the Sprint Race will be about how well a driver manages their tyres. Martins explained that while everyone will face the same challenges, the difference will come from driver skill and car setup. For Sunday, managing the soft tyres will be trickier, but success will come down to choosing the right strategy and outperforming the competition.
Martins said: “So for tomorrow [Sprint Race], it’s just going to be a managing race. With the hard, it’s going to be the same for everyone. We will all have the same problems in the end. And you need to make the difference with your driving, with the setup of the car.”
“And then for Sunday, it’s just going to be a bit trickier because we have the soft to manage. But in the end, it’s going to be the same. We are not going to do 30 laps on the soft. We can box at some point. So it’s just a matter of choosing the right strategy, starting on soft or the hard, and then doing better than the others.”
What qualities define a champion in Formula 2?
When asked by Pit Debrief about what qualities define a champion, Martins said: “First, I think I’m not in that position. I think we have a lot of lows this year, but it’s like this, you need to accept. I think, for example, the kind of start of the weekend I’m doing right now is definitely the one you need to do to be a title contender. You always need to be there.”
“I think in qualifying, if you’re always around top five, it’s good enough to get a shot in the Sprint, to come back, and then in the Feature Race, because you have the pit stop, you can also make some difference with the strategy.”
The Frenchman reflected that highs feels highest when you’ve had to navigate challenges and emphasised the need to stay focused, calm and honest. Despite the setbacks, he noted that performance isn’t always the problem — sometimes things just don’t come together as hoped.
“But in the end, you are true. I mean, it’s the one that makes the lows the highest. And then when you have the car to perform, you also need to maximise it. But I think it’s where you are. With difficulties around you, you need to manage, be even stronger with the team, being honest with everyone.”
“And I think, yes, stay focused and calm on the ultimate goal, which is being in the fight for the title and not being crazy and trying to change a lot of things. But on my side, it’s just things have not been working together and the performance was not an issue.”
