Victor Martins will remain with reigning champions ART Grand Prix for his sophomore season in Formula 2 in 2024, the team has announced.
The Frenchman’s association with ART stretches back to clinching his first championship in single-seaters when he won the Formula Renault Eurocup title in 2020.
Prior to that, Martins had sustained much success in karting at both national and international levels, before racing a single-seater for the first time in French F4 late in 2016.
The Frenchman progressed into Formula 3 after his Eurocup triumph and scored a solitary win in his first year in the category to wound up fifth overall with MP Motorsport.
Martins became reunited with the ART side to encounter his second crack at the third-tier category and added a further two wins as he secured the 2022 Drivers’ crown.
The 22-year-old remained with the French squad for his foray into F2, where he took one victory to end fifth in the standings as ART scooped the Teams’ Championship.
With nine podiums, three pole positions and six fastest laps, Martins was also the highest-placed rookie on the grid, earning him the Anthoine Hubert Award for 2023.
Martins is currently a member of the Alpine Academy and he made his Formula 1 testing debut last May when he drove the Enstone team’s A521 car at Monza in Italy.
“Together with ART Grand Prix, we have a mutual past that is made up of passion and success,” said Martins. “One which has seen the crowning of several titles, I hope to add another in 2024, a decisive season for my development.
“But I will not have my eyes solely focused on the standings: I want to correct mistakes from last year, manage the championship over time and always strive to obtain the best possible result, whether the circumstances are favourable or complicated.
“There is no shortage of serious competitors in this discipline. There is also an element of unknowns with a new car, but I trust ART Grand Prix to make the most out of it. The team supplies me with all the support I need, just like Alpine, and I am holding all the cards I need to achieve my objectives.”
Martins will partner British star and Williams prospect Zak O’Sullivan, who came runner-up in F3 last season and will replace outgoing champion Theo Pourchaire.
ART Team Principal Sébastien Philippe added: “The collaboration between ART Grand Prix and Victor dates back to 2020 when he was successfully crowned the Formula Renault champion. We did a good job and have grown together since then.
“Therefore, I didn’t envisage not continuing our adventure with him. His first year in Formula 2 was very good and very informative. It allowed him to constantly fight for pole positions and victories.
“In 2024, our common objective will logically be to erase any small mistakes from last season and win the title.”
