Pepe Martí has performed well in the second round of Formula 4 UAE, held at the Yas Marina Circuit. The young Catalan managed to get on the podium in the first race of the weekend.
A week after the first event, Formula 4 UAE returned with the second round of the 2021 season. The Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, welcomed the young talents of the category. Pepe Martí arrived with the aim of improving feelings and results after a complicated debut in Dubai.
The weekend started with qualifying sessions. Martí showed a good pace and took fourth position on the grid for Races 1 and 3 and fifth for Race 2. In the first race, Martí gained a place at the start to take third. The Spanish driver defended his position throughout the race and saw the checkered flag in third place, taking his first single-seater podium after a strong performance.
Despite not achieving an optimal setting for Race 2, held at night under the spotlights of the circuit, Martí was fourth after winning a position on the track. Saturday arrived and, with it, the last races of the weekend. The third ended under Safety Car after a long period of neutralization. Martí stayed in fourth from start to finish, but a penalty dropped him to eleventh place after 5 seconds were added to his total race time.
Due to this setback, Martí started eleventh in the last race of the weekend. As the race progressed, the Catalan was able to fight to the limit against some of his rivals and gain positions. Thanks to his overtaking, he was able to score more points by finishing the race in eighth place.
Thus, Pepe Martí's weekend concludes with a podium and a total of 31 points that make him climb places in the general classification. Sensations have improved and the driver has been able to show his true potential and good pace.
"We started the week quite fast and got good results in qualifying." Marti declared at the end of the weekend. “We went into the first race with optimism, with a good start I placed myself third and was able to defend the position until the end. In the second race, we couldn't find a good setting and we finished fourth despite not having the desired speed. In Race 3, I was aggressively overtaken, so I lost time and we returned to fourth, but with a 5 second penalty. Unfortunately, finishing behind the safety car, we lost seven positions to finish eleventh. In the last race, after starting eleventh, I was able to overtake to eighth position. Looking ahead to the next round we hope to find more pace in order to be serious contenders for podiums. I face the challenge with great enthusiasm and motivation after the last podium achieved”.
Formula 4 UAE does not stop and, this week, Martí will reach the third round of the season, in which he returns to the Dubai Autodrome, but in a different racetrack configuration from the one used in Round 1.