The Spanish driver concluded his first Formula 3 season in Monza, after a year of learning as a rookie in the category.
Martí managed to improve in qualifying and was in the front positions for the first time, scoring his first points in this championship.
"We started to be at the front in this last round and I really think we deserved it much earlier because the pace and speed were there. However, this makes us stronger for the start of the next season and everything we have learned and the experience we have gained is incredible".
The FIA Formula 3 Championship held its final round at the historic Monza circuit, where Pepe Martí was finally able to fight at the front and score his first points in the competition. The 17 year old driver had a good qualifying session, obtaining the 10th best time in Monza, which allowed him to start third in Saturday's sprint race on an inverted grid, and tenth in Sunday's race, which closed the championship.
In the first race, the Campos driver managed to maintain third place at the start, and even had the luxury of making contact and threatening the drivers at the front in the first few laps. However, the first intervention of the safety car broke the rhythm of all the participants, and Pepe was immersed in an intense fight within a tight group in which the title contenders, with the most competitive single seaters, could be found. A small run off the track in the gravel made his car's performance worse, but in the end he managed to finish in ninth position, scoring his first points in the championship.
In the second race, held on Sunday, Pepe was tenth on the grid, and by the end of the first lap he had already gained one place. The safety car again played its role due to off-track excursions, and this again broke the rhythm of the drivers. The tyres of Martí's car began to degrade, and this compromised the car's stability. The Barcelona driver was again involved in a tough fight with the championship leaders, and in the final part of the race he was hit by another participant, which forced him to stop in the pits to change a tyre. This ended the driver's hopes of finishing in the points once again.
"It was a difficult race because we were going well and another driver knocked me off the track. We were running in tenth position and with the penalties that were applied, we would have finished around sixth. It's a shame because I was running much better than Saturday's race, making fewer rookie mistakes. The incident was not my fault, so it's a real shame. I'm not angry at all, but I wish there were more races to show where we can be.
"We started to get to the front in this last round and I really think we deserved it a lot earlier because the pace and speed was there. After all the work we've done, we should have been in the points a couple of races ago but luck wasn't on our side and in that sense I leave with a bit of regret. However, this makes us stronger for the start of next season and everything we have learnt and the experience we have gained is incredible".
"I've taken it as a year of gaining experience, facing new situations and dealing with some difficult ones and trying to make the most of it. I had to learn and enjoy it. I would have liked not to be so far back and to be on the podium, but the balance is positive. I have grown as a rider and as a person and in the end that is what matters. Athletes always want to keep growing and try to reach their maximum potential and we have worked hard on it. I hope that in the coming years I can continue to learn, improve and enjoy this magnificent sport".
Pepe Marti finishes his first season in the FIA F3 with some races in the temple of speed, in which he has been able to measure himself directly with more experienced drivers, getting his first points. A well-deserved gift after a first season that is usually the hardest for all rookies.
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