Qualifying
After taking part in his first-ever Free Practice session in Formula 1, Victor quickly found his rhythm again with ART Grand Prix. Unfortunately, an engine issue hindered his performance, leaving him 15th, just behind Ritomo.
Sprint Race
• Victor dropped several positions at the start while avoiding a near-stalled car. From P17 at the end of Lap 1, he launched a brilliant recovery and capitalized on a late safety car to switch to soft tyres.
• Despite picking up debris while overtaking, he charged back through the field to finish an impressive 5th.
• Ritomo had a fantastic opening lap, jumping to 7th and looking like a podium threat. But the safety car timing worked against him and ultimately relegated him to 13th.
Feature Race
• Victor started on hard tyres, Ritomo on softs. The Frenchman was P19 after Lap 1, pitted first, rejoined in the same place, and climbed 11 spots to score 4 points.
• Ritomo surged to P8 by Lap 5, even leading the race before making a late switch to hards. He was pushed off-track through a gravel trap, which cost him several positions, but he still finished 9th, adding more valuable points.
Victor Martins:
“Qualifying was frustrating — I was losing nearly 10 km/h down the straights. Once we changed the turbo, everything felt better in the Sprint. A podium was definitely within reach, but I picked up debris while overtaking.
Sunday’s race looked tough starting from the back on hard tyres, but the strategy worked perfectly! The final result isn’t what we came here for, but the team did an amazing job overcoming every challenge.”
Sébastien Philippe:
“Victor and Ritomo were just two tenths off the top 5 in qualifying, and with margins that close, everything needs to go right.
The late safety car completely derailed Ritomo’s excellent Sprint race — but gave Victor the chance to switch to softs and fly through the field.
No one anticipated the soft-hard performance gap to be that significant or to last that long, which became a key factor on Sunday.
We took two bold but opposing strategies — both paid off. Ritomo nailed his opening stint and returned to the points. Victor gained over 10 positions, and without early traffic, a podium would’ve been well within reach.
The team should be very proud of its adaptability and live decision-making.”
