The Red Bull driver debuted with two great comebacks, reaching third place in the Sprint race and coming close to victory in his first long race in Formula 2, signing a spectacular second position after a masterful tyre management.
Martí is crowned as the best rookie in the category in Bahrain, and leaves Sakhir in second position in the championship, with his sights set on Saudi Arabia.
"I am very proud of the team. They have given me a car that is capable of going forward, competitive, and with a chance of a good result. I am hugely grateful, as well as to the Red Bull Junior Team for the help and preparation they have given me over the winter. It has allowed me to come here as a more efficient and faster driver.
Pepe Martí had a dream debut in the first Formula 2 race in Bahrain. The Spaniard had a great weekend with two podium finishes, third in Friday's sprint race and second on Saturday in the long race of the intermediate category.
After a difficult qualifying on Thursday, he lined up on the grid for both races in eleventh, the 18 year old once again used his strength and talent to prove that he is a fantastic racing driver.
In the sprint, he crossed the finish line third after a great comeback, and this Saturday he did it again. The long race of the weekend is the moment of truth, as it is where the most points are awarded, and where one stop and two tyre compounds are mandatory. Although this was all new to him, he was not intimidated by the more experienced drivers, and with determination he did an impeccable job.
Starting eleventh again, he again made a great start, starting to come back from the first moment. In 6 laps and after a spin by another driver, which ended with the appearance of the safety car, he was in third place. With the initial choice of soft tyres, he managed the wear and on lap 7 he overtook the second placed driver. On lap 19, team and driver made a good stop to put on the hard tyres. Martí rejoined in third position. A few laps later, the safety car reappeared after another incident and Pepe was able to maintain his position ahead of drivers who had changed to soft tyres, without having the faster, softer tyres. After another masterful driving demonstration, with 5 laps to go, he overtook the second placed driver to keep that position until he crossed the finish line.
"I am very happy, it was an unexpected and very positive weekend. I would even say it was surreal because until we get to Jeddah we won't really see where we are. We've had three days of testing here, and it's a different scenario to other circuits, where you haven't been able to test before. I am very proud of the team. They have given me a car that is capable of going forward, competitive, and with a chance of a good result. I am extremely grateful, as well as to the Red Bull Junior Team for the help and preparation they have given me over the winter. It has allowed me to come here as a more efficient and faster driver. With the set-up we have this year, the results are slowly coming along and I'm really looking forward to Jeddah. Especially because I want to work hard to start with a better qualifying and approach the weekend in the same way; with the desire to learn and to do better and better".
Martí leaves Bahrain in second position in the championship with 24 points and as leader of the rookies. With no rest, Formula 2 heads to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the second round of the season next week.