Qualifying
- After dominating free practice, Victor was in the fight for pole position until the very last moments, missing out by just 22 thousandths of a second.
- Hampered by a red flag, Ritomo was slowed in his progress and qualified in 16th place.
Sprint Race
- Victor drove a solid race to gain one position and score a point.
- Despite a good start that allowed him to gain two places, Ritomo gradually saw his race pace deteriorate. He finished in 18th place.
Feature Race
- Victor got off to a good start on soft tyres. He held second place until his pit stop on lap 9 of 28, one lap after the leader. He came back out ahead of the virtual leader, who eventually reclaimed the lead in one of the DRS zones.
- Towards the end, the alternative strategy of some drivers who had started on hard tyres and made a late pit stop proved to be successful, but Victor held on strongly to secure his first podium of the season (3rd).
- Caught in heavy traffic, Ritomo suffered even more from the success of the alternative strategy and didn’t gain any significant ground during the race.
Sébastien Philippe:
“Victor managed to avoid trouble and kept a cool head at all times on a track known for being tricky. He scored points in both races, and we know consistency will be key in this championship. The strategy didn’t work in his favor at the end of the main race, but he made no mistakes, extracted all the potential from his package, and achieved the best possible result, giving us our first podium of 2025. With such tight gaps, any setback is costly, and Ritomo paid the price in both qualifying and the race, but he never gave up or made an error. Overall, it’s a successful weekend that allows ART Grand Prix to head to Imola with good momentum.”
Victor Martins:
“The positive takeaway is that after three weekends in different conditions, we are still competitive in both qualifying and the race. In Jeddah, two good starts allowed me to score a point in the sprint and gather valuable data for the next day, then to turn a front row start into a podium. In the feature race, I had to try something different behind Jak, who was leading, because it was difficult to stay close enough to attempt an overtake on track. But I could keep the tires in alive behind the safety car and he got past me. Then, as soon as Verschoor came out of the pits just ahead of me, I knew it was over because his tires were much more effective.”
Copyright: Dutch Photo Agency
