The Barcelonian gets a second place in his debut at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, one of the cathedrals of motorsport.
His consistency takes him to second place in the drivers' competition, where he is the best Spaniard, after the three races held last weekend in Belgium.
He competes with the same number that Adrián Campos, one of his discoverers, took in Formula 1
Pepe Martí has made a magnificent debut in the F4 Spanish Championship, which held its first scoring meeting in one of the cathedrals of motorsport, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, in Belgium. The Catalan driver has been consistently among the best in the three scoring races of the weekend (5th, 2nd and 6th), completing a first podium behind the wheel of the Campos Racing car number 23, the same number used by one of his mentors, the sadly missing Adrián Campos when racing in the Formula 1 Minardi. This regularity places him as second classified in the driver standings and the best Spanish in the contest.
The endeavour was not an easy one for Pepe Martí: new team within the category, one of the most challenging circuits in the world and one of the F4 grids with the highest level in the world. However, the Barcelonian was near perfection in the Belgian meeting. At the age of 15 -being one of the youngest enrollees -, Martí showed great maturity and evolution throughout the weekend.
Some of the main lessons learned by Martí in this first weekend of competition emerged from the qualifying sessions despite driving, since the start, at the level of the best, gaining a 6th, a 4th and a 7th starting position in the three races: “The qualys have left me with a bittersweet taste. The results are good, but the important thing is that from the small mistakes that separated us from pole, we draw very important lessons for the following races”.
The constant learning from the practise sessions earned its reward in the moment of truth. In the three scoring meetings, Martí gained overtakes in relation to his starting position, with special emphasis on the second race, in which he was close to victory. Fourth from the start, the Barcelonian driver took the lead with two laps to go, starring in a battle for the lead with Dilano Van’t Hoff up to the checkered flag, which they crossed only 7 tenths apart.
This podium has a double prize for Martí: “Starting the Spanish F4 from the top gives us great motivation for the remainder of the season. But the important thing is that this race has shown us the way to victory. We know that we can win and that we are at the level of the best, we now must work on the settings for the meeting in Navarra ”. The generous lot of points accumulated during the weekend (32) places him in second position in the championship, as the best Spaniard and in the race for the title.
Pepe Martí has furthermore, placed himself as the best driver of the Campos Racing team. The Spaniard will compete all season defending the car with number 23 of the Alzira team, a very special number that historically connects him with one of his mentors, Adrián Campos. The late Valencian former driver and team leader who wore it when he was driving for Minardi in Formula 1, a goal that looms in the distance but that Martí begins to explore with eagerness and enthusiasm.
The next meeting of the Spanish F4 will take place at the Navarra circuit on May 29 and 30, the stage for races 4, 5 and 6 of what will be a long season with 21 races in total and that will last until November.
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