Victor Martins joins the Williams Racing F1 Academy for the rest of the 2025 season and beyond. In a significant moment for Martins’ career, he will join Luke Browning as a Williams-backed F2 driver.
Victor Martins is entering his third season of Formula 2 in 2025. After a few misfortunes last season, the former Formula 3 champion will have the backing of a Formula 1 team to help his title fight this year.
Parting Ways with Alpine Academy
Marking a new chapter in Martins’ career also means the end of a long-standing relationship with the Alpine Academy. The Frenchman had been part of the Renault and Alpine junior ranks since 2018, but ahead of the 2025 season, he confirmed his split from the program.
Speaking at a pre-season press conference attended by Pit Debrief and other media outlets, Martins offered a brief explanation for the decision, stating that his career aspirations no longer aligned with Alpine’s plans.
“Let’s say my goal and their goal were not on the same line. And that’s why we wanted to part ways.”
However, Martins remained fully focused on this season of F2 rather than dwelling on what could’ve been with Alpine.
“But in the end, the past doesn’t matter. I see my F2 season coming quickly with ART Grand Prix, and I’m fully focused on this.”
Martins’ bright season ahead
Formula 2 kicked off its season in Melbourne at the start of the month. It was a tricky weekend for all drivers to navigate, with the French Driver being dealt some serious bad luck.
He inherited pole position for what would have been Sunday’s feature race after Minì was given a grid penalty for impeding. Due to the heavy rain on Sunday, the race was cancelled. Additionally, Martins was unable to score points in the only race on Saturday due to a lap 2 DNF.
However, the veteran driver did not let this unlucky weekend affect him. He made his championship intentions known during in-season testing in Bahrain. Topping the timing sheets on day 1 at Sakhir, he set a time of 1:42.845 in the evening session. Ultimately, he will bey utilising his experience over the rookie-filled Formula 2 grid in 2025.
Formula 2 will be back in a few weeks for the Bahrain Grand Prix, and Victor Martins will be looking to kick off his new Williams partnership in style.
Victor Martins:
“I’m super happy to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy! This is a new chapter for me, but my goal remains the same – to push myself to the limit, both as a person and as a racing driver, and to make it to Formula 1. Williams is an iconic team with an incredible history, and I’m confident this is the best place to be to help me achieve my goals. This year, I’ll put all my focus into winning the Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship with ART Grand Prix and maximising this opportunity with the Driver Academy both on and off the track. I look forward to working with everyone at Williams as we embark on this new journey together.”
Sven Smeets, Sporting Director, Atlassian Williams Racing:
“We’re thrilled to welcome Victor to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a talented driver who is capable of winning championships. We will continue to support Victor’s development on and off the track as part of the Academy and look forward to working with him in 2025.”
