Victor Martins on the differences between F2 and F1: « We rely on our own feelings »
On the occasion of the F2 race in Barcelona this weekend, we had the opportunity to meet Victor Martins, a driver for the ART team, who opened up about the challenges faced during his transition from F3 to F2, as well as his recent experience in F1 and the impact it has had on his ongoing season.
What aspects of the transition from F3 to F2 did you find the most difficult?
I would say the adaptation: from F3 to F2, the car is inevitably bigger, wider, and also heavier. Power wasn’t a huge step. But there is the driving itself, there are several aspects when driving in qualifying, the turbo engine, the single-seater rolls differently than in F3. And then there are all the race procedures: in F2, we have a pit-stop during the race, carbon brakes, tire and brake heating becomes a bit more complex, and we have two different tire compounds. We must be able to adapt between the beginning and the end of the race when changing tires in the middle of the race, and from free practice to qualifying in a short amount of time.
Could you please specify further the changes regarding the purely mechanical aspects?
We don’t necessarily go into a lot of detail as a driver, I try to focus on what I can do in the car, my job, I just give my feedback and then the engineers do theirs. As for anything technical, it’s quite close to Formula 3.
“What are the major progressions that you have made since the beginning of the season and the areas in which you would still like to improve?”
Where I have adapted well is in delivering performances, making good qualifications. However, where I struggle a bit is that I push a lot, all the time, I give it 100% and maybe not always at the right moment, so on that point I need to take a step forward, understand when I should push, and when I should be more on the side, why I made these little mistakes. I put Monaco aside (where he received a drive-through penalty for getting very close to the firefighters extinguishing a fire on Jack Doohan’s car, Editor’s note), but at the beginning of the season, they were small mistakes that cost a lot. I really need to be in a different mindset of not wanting too much and being very clear-headed at each moment to make good decisions.
To come back to your test with Alpine, how did you find the transition between F2 and F1 in terms of the power and performance of the car?
It’s completely different, the power is multiplied tenfold, as well as the aerodynamics, we have much more of it. There’s also the grip, in the corners, adjusting speed is really not easy, you think the car will stick to the ground. Plus, for all the procedures, there are tire warmers, so it’s much easier for warming up the tires. The brake heating is also electric, while in F2 it’s completely hydraulic.
Beyond that, I was able to see on the test that in F1, we are still very assisted with many systems in the car that allow us to change a lot of things in real time, at the request of the engineer. Whereas in F2, it will take us 3 hours to change them, we have to go back to the pit and dismantle everything! And as far as procedures are concerned, I felt it was more structured.
In a press conference, George Russell indicated that one of the major difficulties in F2 compared to F1 is the lack of race data, which makes learning difficult. Do you agree?
Yes, there is a lack of data, that’s for sure, in F2 we rely on our own feelings. Only we can decide, change, and feel the car. After that, it’s F1, we have to accept it, it’s the Holy Grail, the highest step in motorsport, where everything must work best and be the most beautiful. But F2 teaches us to work with our feelings, to be really meticulous with the feedback we give to the team. We have to be simple but effective. It’s the learning school. But in a way, it’s very contradictory because when we get to F1, everything is easier, but that’s how it is.
How did you prepare for this test with Alpine?
A bit of simulator, but the test was not planned in advance, it was done a bit on the fly. It was planned for me to have a day in an F1 car, but not necessarily on that day at Monza, it was done a bit hastily. I was in Enstone, so I did some simulator work to go through the steering wheel, procedures, and get a feel for how the car handles. We went through the program a bit, a few hours before the « reality ».
Did you learn anything for your preparation in F2?
Yes, but it’s quite different. In F1, engineers place a little less importance on the driver’s side because they expect us to already be proficient in that aspect. We have to do the work upfront and independently. Let’s just say it gives me a different approach for F2.
