ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins was left frustrated after missing out on pole position by just 0.006 seconds in a shortened F2 Imola GP Qualifying session on Saturday.
The Frenchman, who set the early benchmark with an impressive 1:27.424, was denied the opportunity to improve his time when the session was red-flagged with six minutes remaining following Kush Maini’s crash at Tamburello. Race control’s subsequent decision not to resume qualifying meant Martins had to settle for third place behind Hitech TGR’s Dino Beganovic and PREMA Racing’s Sebastián Montoya.
A controversial end to the F2 Imola GP Qualifying session
Martins made no attempt to hide his disappointment after the F2 Imola GP Qualifying, shaking his head visibly in the cockpit when the session’s premature end was announced.
“Until the red flag came out, I would say since the beginning of the season we have not been that lucky in qualifying, but we always managed to do a good lap on the first run,” Martins explained. “After the red flag in Jeddah, for example, we managed to get P2. Always frustrating because it was 28,000 in Jeddah, it’s now 6,000, so it feels a bit like everything is against me.”
Kush crashes in Quali 💥
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 16, 2025
Proving how easy it is to find the barriers around Imola, Kush Maini's moment brought Qualifying to an early end 😕
As a result, he also loses his fastest lap time, but at least he has two races to look forward to 👊#F2 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/WTgqFl7Qaf
The margins at the front were incredibly tight, with pole-sitter Beganovic’s 1:27.418 just 0.0035 seconds ahead of Montoya, and a mere 0.006 seconds clear of Martins. Martins had been particularly strong in his first qualifying run, setting a time that stood at the top of the timesheets for much of the session before being narrowly beaten in the final minutes before the red flag.
“I had, I think, three tenths clear from P2,” Martins recalled. “We know from last year it wasn’t our strongest track also coming here, so for sure being able to deliver that kind of pace in qualifying is really good for confidence, also for the future, for next tracks.”
Frustration due to the session not being resumed
Despite the frustration, Martins remains optimistic about his prospects for both the Sprint and Feature races this weekend. His qualifying performance continues a consistent run of form that has seen him qualify in the top three at every round so far this season.
“I think I have everything in my hands to always fight for pole position,” he said. “I was three times P2, now P3, so I hope it’s not going in that direction, but definitely I will always feel that I will have the car to fight for pole, and that’s something you need when you go on the track.”
The decision not to resume the qualifying session despite having six minutes remaining proved controversial, particularly as it left championship leader Richard Verschoor stranded in 19th position with no opportunity to improve. When asked by Pit Debrief about this, Martins expressed his frustration but accepted the situation.
“I think my reaction tells it all. I was super angry about not starting again because my pace was great.” The French driver said, “I was on pole on run one by quite a bit, so I knew I had everything to deliver for run two and get that pole.”
“You speak about Verschoor, but if you look at today, he didn’t have the pace to be up there, so definitely maybe he will have another chance. He would have done better, but I think it’s the same for everybody. For sure, six minutes is a lot. I have never seen that much, I think, to stop and not resume the qualifying.”
Martins stays focused on the Sprint and Feature Races at the F2 Imola GP
Looking ahead to the races, Martins is taking a measured approach, particularly with the Feature Race on Sunday where he’ll start from third on the grid.
“For the races, it’s just keeping calm, trying to do a good start,” he explained. “Also, we know we have a softer compound compared to last year with the soft for tomorrow, so definitely there will be interesting things to look at, and then maybe if we have some opportunities to overtake, we will go for it.”
“Starting P3 on Sunday will be just to do the same again, have a clean race, think 10 times before doing something. I’m sure I will have again the car to perform and to finish with good points this weekend.”
