2022 Formula 3 champion Victor Martins is the latest driver to graduate as he joins Theo Pourchaire at ART for the 2023 Formula 2 season.
21-year-old Formula 3 Champion Victor Martins will join veteran Theo Pourchaire at ART for his debut Formula 2 season. This will be Martins’ third season overall with the team. He is the 21st and penultimate driver to be announced for the upcoming season.
2022 Season
Martins made his Formula 3 debut in 2021 after winning the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup with ART. Joining MP Motorsport for the season, Martins finished fifth after taking one win and six podiums. He retained his seat for the 2022 season but returned to ART.
Starting off strong with a win during the Feature Race in Bahrain, Martins entered a championship battle with Arthur Leclerc that soon diminished with Isack Hadjar becoming his rival for the second half of the season. As he entered the final round at Monza, he was rivaled by seven other drivers who were also in contention for the title. A red flag prematurely ended the Feature Race at Monza which allowed Martins to claim the title despite finishing fourth. Martins was triumphant by just five points over rookie Zane Maloney.
In November, Martins participated in the Formula 2 post-season test with ART alongside Pourchaire. With the two drivers being announced for ART, this means that it will be an all-French team.
BREAKING: 2022 @FIAFormula3 champion @VictorMartinsFR steps up to F2! 🤩✨
The Frenchman will race for @ARTGP in his rookie season ✍️#F2 #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/ygghPhsuLc
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) January 20, 2023
Following the announcement, Martins stated:
“The 2023 season will be exciting and motivating. After a successful year with ART Grand Prix, I was not considering taking the next step with any other team. I can’t wait to discover the Formula 2 championship, which is tough and competitive, with such a professional and experienced team.”
Sébastien Philippe (Team Principal at ART) said,
“Taking up the challenge of Formula 2 in 2023 with Victor is a logical continuation after an intense year which concluded with the first ART Grand Prix title in the modern era of F3. Victor made enormous progress in 2022 and has proven that in both difficult personal and sporting conditions, he has the mental strength and the talent to achieve great things at the highest level of motorsport.”
2023 F2 Lineup
- ART Grand Prix: Theo Pourchaire & Victor Martins
- Campos Racing: Ralph Boschung & Kush Maini
- Carlin Racing: Zane Maloney & Enzo Fittipaldi
- DAMS Racing: Arthur Leclerc & Ayumu Iwasa
- Hitech Grand Prix: Isack Hadjar & Jak Crawford
- MP Motorsport: Dennis Hauger & TBD
- PHM Racing by Charouz: Roy Nissany and Brad Benavides
- PREMA Powerteam: Oliver Bearman & Frederick Vesti
- Trident Racing: Clement Novalak & Roman Stanek
- Virtuosi Racing: Jack Doohan & Amaury Cordeel
- Vans Amersfoort Racing: Richard Verschoor & Juan Manuel Correa
