Pepe Martí delivered a commanding performance at the Red Bull Ring, securing his second F2 Sprint Race victory of the season after overcoming grid penalties and surviving multiple safety car interruptions during 28 chaotic laps at the Austrian GP.
Overcoming early battles
Starting from fifth on the grid after receiving a three-place penalty following Friday’s qualifying session, Martí’s path to victory was far from straightforward. The reversed grid format had placed John Bennett on pole position, but it was Joshua Dürksen who seized the early initiative with a lightning start from second place.
Martí’s aggressive racecraft became evident immediately as he swept past Roman Staněk for second position on the opening lap, positioning himself perfectly behind race leader Dürksen. However, the race was soon thrown into chaos when a dramatic multi-car collision on lap two brought out red flag conditions.
The incident involved Sami Meguetounif, Luke Browning, and Arvid Lindblad in a high-speed collision that saw Meguetounif’s car launch over Browning’s machine. The Halo device proved crucial in preventing serious injuries, with all drivers reporting no harm after immediate medical attention.
Brilliance under pressure
When racing resumed with 25 laps remaining, Martí demonstrated the tactical acumen that would ultimately secure victory. A second safety car period, caused by contact between Oliver Goethe and Dino Beganovic, provided another interruption, but Martí remained focused on his strategy.
The defining moment came on lap 16 when Martí closed within DRS range of Dürksen. His first attack down the main straight into Turn 4 briefly gave him the lead, but Dürksen responded immediately with a counter-attack into Turn 6. Running side by side, Dürksen emerged ahead, but Martí retained DRS for another attempt.
Martí’s second attack proved decisive, finally taking the Sprint Race lead and managing to break clear of Dürksen’s DRS range in the crucial stages. His superior tyre management and strategic approach allowed him to maintain the advantage despite intense pressure from both Dürksen and the charging Staněk behind.
Victory in Red Bull’s home ground
Speaking after his triumph, Martí expressed the special significance of winning at the Red Bull Ring as a Red Bull Junior driver. “Obviously racing here as a Red Bull driver, you know, at the Red Bull Ring, home of Red Bull, and just the brand in general, obviously it’s a great,” he said.
“It’s generally a great feeling just driving here in a Red Bull car, and then obviously, you know, being able to secure the win, doing a great, you know, I think it’s a strategic race, because obviously, we had some slight tyre deg, and you had to be quite intelligent how you were driving.”
The Spanish driver explained his tactical approach to the crucial battle with Dürksen. “At the beginning he was going flat out, and he dropped me off the DRS, so I was more looking at Roman [Staněk], and trying to keep him at a decent gap,” he recalled.
“And then as, I’d probably say like lap 6 or 7, in the middle of that, I got into his DRS, and then I was just always saying 0.6, 0.7, I was like, ‘okay, I got to do this in two laps, like I got to catch him and pass him the next’, because otherwise my tyres are going to drop off.”
Martí praised Dürksen’s defensive driving, noting, “He did throw a nice dive bomb into T6, which I wasn’t expecting, and then you had to get him again next lap, so it was a nice fight, and yeah, quite happy.”
Championship implications and team loyalty
Despite starting from fifth, Martí remained confident in his chances. “Well, I think my hopes were initially high anyways, I think we know that we have really, really good pace, especially on the soft tyre, we’ve always been really, really quick,” he explained. “The only thing is that, obviously the grid penalties didn’t help, but in the end, the main trouble is qualifying in ninth. If I’d qualified in fourth and got the grid penalty, I’d be starting fourth.”
The race concluded under dramatic circumstances when Amaury Cordeel spun at the final corner, triggering a multi-car collision involving Gabriel Minì, John Bennett, and Leonardo Fornaroli. The incident allowed Richard Verschoor to gain crucial championship points by inheriting fourth place.
Clean up on aisle 3… 🧹#F2 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/Yhrk93H6ZG
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) June 28, 2025
When asked by Pit Debrief about the frustration of seeing championship positions change due to incidents beyond his control, Martí displayed a mature perspective, “It’s racing.”
“Obviously, you’d rather be the one that gets an advantage out of someone else’s mission. But in the end, it’s racing. There’s been times where I’ve been taking opportunities in someone else’s mistakes and stuff. And again, it happens to everyone.”
“And I always say, if luck is going to be the determining factor in your championship, then you just haven’t done a good enough job throughout the year.”
Martí reflects on his relationship with Campos
Martí’s victory at the Austrian GP F2 Sprint Race also highlighted his long-standing relationship with the Campos Racing team, a partnership that has endured throughout his junior career progression. “Campos to me is family,” Martí reflected. “There has been times where obviously, especially up this ladder, there’s 11 good teams in F2, there’s 10 good teams in F3, there’s an infinite amount of good teams in F4. So in the end, there’s always other choices, and we’ve always kept together.”
The loyalty has proven mutually beneficial, with Red Bull placing their trust in Campos to develop their junior talent. “Red Bull also confided in Campos,” he said. “They put their trust in the team to do a good job in F2. They obviously did a fantastic job and Isaac came away second and we finished second in the championship as a team.”
“I’m hoping that this year we can bring the team to the top in the constructors or the team standings. And then obviously, like I mentioned before, I think if I just do a tiny bit of step, it’s quite clear that the race pace is more than enough to win races. So yeah, just got to focus a bit more on qualifying and then we’ll be right up there.”
