Victor Martins shines alongside Sébastien Loeb to deliver the Nations Cup to France

It was within the Accor Stadium in Sydney that the Race of Champions took place, a unique competition that brings together drivers from various motorsport disciplines and is organized for the first time in the southern hemisphere.

France had not won the Nations Cup since 2004, when Sébastien Loeb teamed up with Jean Alesi. 21 years later, the nine-time world rally champion found in Victor Martins a partner up to the challenge, despite the young 24-year-old’s lack of experience in this competition format.

« It was so much fun and incredible to win here for my debut. Winning the ROC Nations Cup is something special and a new opportunity to show my potential. I obviously asked Seb [Loeb] for a lot of advice, especially if I could go flat out over the bridge, and he told me the car had the necessary suspension for the landing. », said Martins after the victory.

An incredible victory! Victor did an amazing job, beating all those fast drivers, even though it was his first participation in the Race of Champions, and we won the Nations Cup! It’s a very great moment! Loeb commented immediately after the finish.

A flawless journey

The French team had started their journey well from the group stages, where Loeb and Martins dominated their opponents to qualify for the rest of the competition. In the quarter-finals, they eliminated the New Zealand team before defeating the All-Stars team, composed of Swede Johan Kristoffersson and Australian Chaz Mostert, in a close contest.

The final pitted them against the Australian team of Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki, who enjoyed massive support from the local crowd. In a best-of-three format, Will Brown first gained the advantage by defeating Sébastien Loeb. Victor Martins then equalized by winning against Brodie Kostecki thanks to a decisive overtake at the end of the race.

Everything was decided in a crucial heat between Brown and Martins. On a track made slippery by rain, the two drivers engaged in a suspenseful duel at the wheel of rear-wheel-drive rallycross cars. After falling slightly behind in the first lap, Martins staged a spectacular comeback. In the final corner, Will Brown made a small mistake trying to defend his position, handing victory to the Frenchman by a few tenths of a second.

Sébastien Loeb, four-time winner of the individual Race of Champions event, was full of praise for his young teammate after this performance: « I have obviously been talking with Victor from the start, and I think we did a good job together. In the end, it was his first participation in the Race of Champions, and we didn’t expect to see him fighting at the front. I think he impressed everyone. »

From F2 to international glory

Victor Martins is getting ready to compete in his third season in Formula 2 with the ART Grand Prix team. The French driver has experienced ups and downs in the feeder series to Formula 1, with two victories and twelve podiums in two seasons. After finishing fifth in the championship in 2023, he dropped to seventh place last year.

At the end of 2024, Martins parted ways with the Alpine F1 Team, having been part of their young driver program for several years. He justified the separation by stating that the objectives were no longer aligned between the two parties. Nevertheless, the 2022 Formula 3 Champion remains hopeful of reaching Formula 1, as he recently affirmed: “We share a common goal with ART GP: to do everything we can to win the title. I am surrounded by the best people to achieve my ultimate dream: Formula 1.”

The other participants and what’s next…

Regarding F1, well-known names from the discipline are also present in Sydney at the Race of Champions. Among them, Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher representing Germany. The four-time world champion and the former Haas driver were eliminated in the semi-finals by the Australian team. The Finnish team, composed of Valtteri Bottas and Heikki Kovalainen, did not manage to make it out of the group stages despite the experience of the two former Grand Prix winners. David Coulthard, a 13-time F1 winner, teamed up with young Max McRae to represent Great Britain.

The program continues this Saturday, March 8, with the individual event that will determine the Champion of Champions. All drivers will compete in a knockout format, with Sébastien Loeb and Victor Martins aiming to convert their team success. Mattias Ekström, the reigning champion, will seek to retain his crown against strong competition. In this race, Martin hopes to face his teammate: “I looked at the draw for the ROC Champion of Champions, and if I had to face Seb, it would only be in the final, so hopefully I’ll have the chance to race against him,” he said. The event will be broadcast live on Canal+ starting at 9:30 AM French time.