Victor Martins fought his way to second place in a chaotic Formula 2 Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps. He kept his cool through early collisions and multiple Safety Cars. Martins closed the gap to Amaury Cordeel and made a move with DRS on the Camel Straight, before the two made contact, forcing Cordeel to retire. The Frenchman avoided damage and held position during the restart, crossing the line behind Leo Fornaroli, marking it his second podium of the season.
Martins sees positive signs from F2 Sprint as he prepares for the Feature Race in Spa
Victor Martins reflected on a strong performance during the F2 Sprint Race at Spa. Highlighting his impressive drive from P6 to P2 and the confidence it gives him heading into the Feature Race. Emphasizing how his early overtakes, particularly around Turn 1 and into Le Combes, set the tone for his charge through the field. Despite a Virtual Safety Car and a minor contact—where he maintained he was not at fault—Martins remained focused and composed.
He acknowledged the challenge of leading during a safety car period that allowed others on fresher soft tires to close in, but saw the overall race pace and strategic execution as major positives. Confident in the car’s race pace and buoyed by his performance, Martins believes he and Leonardo Fornaroli are among the strongest contenders heading into the Feature Race.
“Yeah, finally you know I enjoyed a lot you know fighting towards the front. I started P6, the start was just correct. But just I think T1 was really good, I managed to get on the outside overtake a few guys there. And then I got a good run also into Le Combes. But then we had a VSC I think at that point. So I think the pace was what was positive today it led me to be able to fight to go ahead and recover some positions.”
“So that is super positive for tomorrow for the Feature. I think we’re always struggling a bit in the race now, I think. We’re the strongest or one of the strongest with Leo [Fornaroli] and I think it’s good for the Feature. Again we did everything right today. I had a little contact, but I think I wasn’t the one at fault there. I was fully in control on the outside, fully ahead. Just like it was a bit tough to say so myself.”
“Because we’ve called it we created the safety car, and I was like come on. Like I’m P2 now I create the safety car then the people who are going on soft and then they will catch me and overtake me back. So it was a bit difficult to manage this situation, but I think the pace was what was positive today.”
Martins defends decision to stay out during Safety Car in F2 Sprint at Spa
When asked if there was a decision to pit for soft tires during the Safety Car, Martins said the team considered it but chose to stay out. Martins felt strong in that phase of the F2 Sprint race in Spa-Francorchamps. The pace was good, and he had built momentum through steady overtakes. He didn’t see a need to change what was working.
The Safety Car altered the race, but he believed he could keep going without losing performance. Looking back, a stop might have helped him fight back against those who did pit, like Minì and Goethe. Still, he backed the choice. They made the call based on track position and race flow. For Martins, it was the right one at the time.
“I said no, but I think they didn’t want to do it either. Because I think the pace was good until that Safety Car. I was in a really good momentum, I was really I don’t know if I was really catching Leo [Fornaroli], but I think I was just looking ahead overtaking people and I think I knew I was going to be able to keep that momentum. And not have not hit any degradation or be good on the soft.”
“So yeah, I mean it’s just a decision you need to take in the moment sometimes. It’s not the right one sometimes, yes. Maybe with the few amount of cars behind me if I had pitted maybe I would have overtaken back Gabriele [Minì] and Goethe. But we never know we did this decision, I think it’s good.”
Martins confident in car setup and prepared for both wet and dry at Spa
Martins made it clear he’s ready to fight for another podium, no matter the conditions. He and the team learned from their struggles in the wet at Silverstone and know exactly how to respond if the rain returns. He feels confident in the car’s setup for both wet and dry tracks. With solid pace and strong preparation behind him, Martins believes he can match—or even improve on—his F2 Sprint Race result in the Feature at Spa.
“For sure 100%. I think the pace is normally good on the wet we were just struggling with something in Silverstone, that we were not happy about. But we know exactly what to do for the wet. So if it’s wet I’m prepared, the team is prepared and on the dry, I think we have a good race to analyse, get some feedback on and definitely I will aim for the same or even more.”
Pitting during late Safety Car at F2 Sprint Race in Spa as a challenge
Martins expected challenges with tire strategy, given the unpredictable conditions. He explained that teams had little time to react and made quick calls based on limited information. Some choices didn’t work out, especially with the lack of grip late in the race.
He added that the difference between tire options wasn’t as clear as at other tracks. The conditions didn’t allow drivers to build a rhythm or get the most out of the compound. In his case, he and the team weighed up the situation and committed to staying out. Looking back, he felt it was a reasonable decision based on what they knew at the time.
“I think first we never know exactly how it’s going to be because otherwise we will not make the right decision. So definitely with some teams are just trying. And then when you consider everything that they had only one lap, it wasn’t super hot. I think it was probably so easy for them to grain the tire. And I think once you grain, it is done.”
“Then again the mid-jump to soft probably there is not much a big difference in terms of one lap difference, probably. For sure, you will take earlier but uh, definitely it’s not like Barcelona. Where you have to jump from hard to soft. There is a huge deck, um it’s hot so you can just warm up well the tire.”
“So um but in the end I think we just don’t know exactly what to do, what to expect. And at some point we have answers. But if you look at the year to year, it’s not really the same every time. So we need to take in consideration a lot of information that we have and then make a decision.”
Martins praises Minì’s progress and their relationship on and off track
Martins appreciated Minì’s words and felt proud to be someone he looked up to. He said it felt special to race against a driver who once saw him as an example. Once on track, though, the dynamic changed—they both raced hard and gave no room.
Martins said they always showed respect, even after small incidents. Off the track, they kept in touch and supported each other during big moments like F1 and Formula E tests. He remembered their time together at Alpine and spoke highly of Minì’s progress. He knew how tough F2 could be and praised Minì for staying focused. Martins believed he had what it takes to go far.
“Until he overtakes the teacher, you know it’s okay. But no, definitely I’m happy to see him when he’s in front. And definitely fighting with Gabriele [Minì] it’s always good. Even though we, in Red Bull Ring we had a little contact. But we went to see each other I mean it’s fine. I know we leave a space we respect each other I know how much he is fast you know.”
“When he’s actually, when he did his Formula E test, we’re always texting. When I do my Formula One test, when he does some tests we are always like, you know, vamos, come on, let’s do a good job. And definitely we had good years also in Alpine together.”
“I think it’s good. His progression has been super good, I also know Formula 2 is so tough. I know how it is difficult to make everything right, sometimes you just don’t have the package with you. And, you just need to keep going, keep trusting what you do. But I know he will have a great and a great career for sure.”
