F2 driver Pepe Martì spoke with selected media, including LWOS, of his ups and downs during his career until his arrival in Formula 2.
After a difficult last season in Formula 3, this year in F2 Pepe Martì wants to prove his true value on track. The Spaniard is closely guarded by Helmut Marko, being a member of the Red Bull Junior Team from this year. Martì spoke with selected media, including LWOS, about his difficulties last year and his good start to the season in Formula 2
Ups and downs in Formula 3
Last year the Spaniard started his second year in Formula 3 in the best way possible. In 2022, Campos Racing struggled to find the right setup for the car and Martì finished with only points in the standings. But in 2023, things seemed to have changed. The First victory came in Bahrain in the Sprint Race, crowned also by the fast lap. During the year, Pepè collected two more wins and a third place at Silverstone. The last victory was perhaps the most special: after an excellent qualifying that got him the pole position, Martì crossed the finish line in first position. In front of his home crowd and of the eyes of a proud Fernando Alonso.
Despite the good start to the season, the first difficulties started in Hungary, culminating with the first retirement at Spa and the double withdrawal at Monza.
Disaster for championship contender Pepe Marti in the Sprint! 😱
A collision with Mini, then he collects Cohen upon returning to the track
But, he made sure to apologise to Cohen for their race-ending incident 🤝#BelgianGP #F3 pic.twitter.com/Be6DuDyAQX
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) July 29, 2023
“I had doubts on myself. We had a strong car last year. In Spa, I made a bad call on the tires but I was a bit forced. In Monza, I was taken out in turn one in both races. “
Marti commented on his season last year, which ended with a fifth position in the final standing. Twenty more respect 2022.
Red Bull Junior Team and A14
The Spaniard started to race in karts at 11 years old for Fernando Alonso’s team. Since then, the two have always been close and the 2-time world champion became Marti’s manager, following his Motorsport career. This program includes Maximilian Gunther, Nikolas Tsolov, Gabriel Bortoleto, Carl Bennett, and Clement Novalak.
In August 2023, F2 driver Pepe Martì was announced as a new member of the Red Bull Junior Team. The young driver described this news as a “childhood dream come true”. However, expectations in Red Bull are very high, and the drivers must perform at their best because their place in the program is always at risk.
“Helmut Marko is my boss so he is strict, he was happy for me in Bahrain and not in Jeddah. He wants me to deliver. That’s how it works. Motorsport is a ruthless world so you always want the best.”
A new begging in F2 for Pepe Martì
In the first round of the F2 season, Pepe Martì proved to be very fast, and he got on the podium both in the Sprint and in the Feature Race, respectively with a third and a second place. Not a bad start for a rookie who, with Paul Aron, seems to conduct the pace in the new grid. However, things got more difficult in the last two rounds. After a weekend not so much up to his abilities in Jeddah, Martì was ready to redeem himself in Melbourne. Unlucky for him, in the Sprint Race Isaac Hadjar, in teammate in Campos, pushed Bortoleto and Martì outside the track, a few seconds after lights went out. Both drivers retired, with a lot of frustration from Martì. No points for him also on Sunday, while Hadjar won the race. Despite the difficulties, Martì trusts the team and his abilities:
“It’s been a very positive start of the year and it makes up for a tough end of the year last year in F3 I had some doubts. But to be honest, last year I knew we had the pace and in the pre-season test of F2 I already knew the car was strong and from the first race, we were already there. For me, what I need to improve is qualifying, same as last year. And it’s a bit of a shame, to be honest, because I feel I’ve improved but I need to do more.”
The Spaniard is proud of the team which seems to have understood how the new car works. All is not lost after the two races and, with another eleven rounds left around the world, Pepe Martì could still climb the F2 standing.
