After winning last year’s championships, ART Grand Prix faced many difficulties which compromised their 2024 F2 season.
From Winners to the Back of the Gird in 2024
Art Grand Prix’. Art Grand Prix’s.
The racing world is always going very fast. Everyone knows it, from the drivers to the fans watching the races on television. Everything can change instantaneously.
For example, a championship-winning team the previous season may find itself at the bottom of the standing the following year.
ART Grand Prix team is well aware of the ups and downs of racing.
In 2023, they celebrated winning both the Teams’ and Drivers’ titles in Abu Dhabi. However, in 2024, they found themselves struggling, finishing in seventh place.
So, what went wrong? Between the change of lineup and the introduction of a new car, the answers to this question could vary.
Navigating Through the Difficulties
For the 2024 season of Formula 2, ART Grand Prix decided to choose for their lineup Victor Martins and Zak O’Sullivan. The former had already raced with the French team the previous year. He finished in a promising fifth place in his rookie season.
O’Sullivan, the 2023 runner-up in F3, was announced as a new team member in October.
Both drivers are part of a Formula 1 team’s academy – Martins with Alpine and O’Sullivan with Williams – therefore, ART Grand Prix arrived in Bahrain confident of their abilities.
O’Sullivan came out of Bahrain P4 in the championship after the first round.
Meanwhile, Martins had not managed to score any points, having to retire on Sunday due to an engine problem. This was the first indication of the challenges the team and its drivers would face during the year.
The following weekend, O’Sullivan was forced to retire from both races and the team earned no points.
The situation started to improve in Melbourne where Martins was the author of an impressive comeback in both races. He reached the points starting from the last positions.
The Frenchman confirmed his role as team leader in Imola, climbing back from 22nd to 9th position in the Feature race. He earned the fastest lap point as well.
His teammate seemed to have more difficulty adapting to the car but the season was still long.
One thing seemed to be certain for the French team then – winning the championships could be more difficult than last year.
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First Wins for ART Grand Prix in the 2024 Season
The French team left Italy with a few more points but still far from last year’s performance. Victory no longer seemed as close to hand as before.
However, in racing, when you least expect it everything can change.
Martins seemed to have found his speed again in Monte Carlo, achieving a spot on the front row for the first time of the year. Meanwhile, O’Sullivan qualified in fifteenth place.
However, the Frenchman lost several positions when the lights went out due to a poor start.
This meant Martins would have a mountain climb of a race as in Monaco it is now almost impossible to overtake, so the only ways to pass are either desperate attempts on the track, or through a strategy different and better from that of the other competitors.
It was this last approach that rewarded O’Sullivan. A few laps from the end, the Brit still hadn’t made his pitstop, as he was waiting for a miraculous safety car that could play in his favour.
His wish came true and it allowed the Englishman and ART Grand Prix to win their first race of 2024.
This result gave back strength to the team. It suggested that the car had the potential to be exploited, along with that of the drivers.
At the next round, in Barcelona, the team celebrated another success, this time with Martins who won the Sprint Race starting from second place.
However, problems do not disappear easily and ART Grand Prix still went through a double-sided season. The cars seemed to have good top speed but in races, difficulties appeared, making it difficult for the drivers to fight for the podium or wins.
At Silverstone in the Sprint Race, the two teammates collided for the first time and what could have been a good opportunity to score points, turned into a frustrating day with a double retirement for ART Grand Prix.
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ART Grand Prix F2 Lineup Change for the Final Rounds
In Azerbaijan, ART surprised everyone with an unexpected announcement.
O’Sullivan left the team with immediate effect and was replaced by Luke Browning for the last rounds. The reasons are still unclear but O’Sullivan shared on his social media that one of the main issues seemed to be the lack of funds.
Thus, ART Grand Prix entrusted one of its cars to a driver who had no Formula 2 experience – Browning.
Luckily in Baku, the car was competitive from the start and Browning collected his first points in the Feature race, while Martins gave the team another podium.
Qatar was a challenging weekend for them. Despite Martins’ third place in qualifying, they did not collect any points.
Martins did not give up and in qualifying in Abu Dhabi, he executed an excellent performance by taking pole position.
Unfortunately, luck did not seem to be on his side during the Sprint Race. He was hit by Miyata and forced to return to the pits.
He finished the penultimate race of the year with a lap delay. On Sunday, when it was expected that the French driver would impress the competition, he faced other difficulties.
He had a poor start and lost several positions. In the end, he was able to keep the fourth potion.
On a happier note for the team, Browning achieved his second point-finish of the year in the Sprint Race.
The Desire to Return to the Fight
The 2024 F2 season marked a disappointing record for ART Grand Prix.
Since the team was founded in 2005, with the incorporation of ASM Formula 3, this year’s ranking was the worst in the F2 teams’ championship. They finished in seventh place, more than 100 points away from the championship winner, Invicta Racing.
This outcome is particularly disappointing for the reigning Teams’ champions from last year.
They were unable to find the necessary performance throughout the year, facing various issues with their car and changing their lineup.
However, in the final races, Victor Martins showed some signs of the competitive driver seen last year.
In the other feeder series championships, ART Grand Prix achieved some success as a consolation. They secured a good third place in the team standings in Formula 3. This was thanks to the excellent performance from Christian Mansell throughout the season.
Additionally, they finished in fourth place in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and debuted in the Italian Formula 4 championship.
However, in the F1 Academy championship, the girls and the team faced several difficulties, ultimately finishing the season in last place.
Despite the challenges encountered during the year, the performances of the last rounds suggest that ART Grand Prix has found a way to extrapolate pace from the F2 car.
Next year, with a strong and consistent lineup, the French team aims to return to the fight for the top potions.
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