The Campos Racing driver was looking to repeat the podium of the opening event of the Spanish F4 Championship, but two controversial qualifying sessions conditioned his chances in the triple event in Navarra.
The Barcelonian achieved a very fought and worthy ninth position in the third race of the weekend, after climbing 12 places.
"We had the speed to be among the best and achieve good results, but despite that we found ourselves in situations that prevented us from scoring more points".
The second round of the 2021 F4 Spanish Championship has left a bittersweet taste for Pepe Martí, who saw his weekend affected by circumstances that prevented him from reaping a good result in the three races held this past weekend at the Circuit de Navarra. The best: the last heat, where he drove a spectacular 12-position comeback to cross the checkered flag in ninth position within the points area, a good example of the fighting spirit and ability of the young rookie.
After having good feelings in the opening event in Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), where he climbed to the second step of the podium, Martí was looking to take another step in Los Arcos. Fighting for the victory or for one of the privileged positions was feasible, as was proven in the collective tests held the days before the meeting, where he was always among the best and even set the benchmark time in Thursday's session, in addition to the third best time in Free Practice 2.
If the good feelings gave rise to a certain optimism, the adversities encountered throughout the weekend made sure to tarnish the aspirations of the Campos Racing driver. It all started in qualifying session 1, where he was blocked by a participant on track and prevented him from achieving a clean lap, as well as the cancellation of one of his timed cronos after slightly exceeding the limits of the circuit. All of which relegated him to 10th position on the grid in the first heat. As if that weren't enough, a chaotic start with several cars stalled in front of him deprived him of a good start where he finished 12th.
In the second race, the shortest of the three with a duration of only 18 minutes plus one lap, the Barcelonian started yet again from the back - this time, ninth - and was soon affected by the leaps with the other participants. With the appearance of the safety car that shortened the race significantly, there was practically no time left for overtakes leaving him to settle in 11th position.
If the weekend wasn't being favourable enough already, in qualifying 2 Pepe Martí was penalized for exceeding the limits of the track after achieving a hopeful second place on the grid for the third round. He, furthermore, was affected by a red flag whilst reducing his own cronos . “Due to a red flag, we had less time to put in enough qualifying laps, and when I finished my first good turn and was on the path for the second, I was two seconds short and could not do another lap that perhaps would have given me the first pole of the season ”, he laments.
The sanction and the suspension of the session sent him to the back of the grid, but there the 15-year-old showed his pride and from the 21st place he began a spectacular comeback. Car after car he climbed into the points zone. After improving 12 positions, he finally finished ninth, a result that, although highly competitive and creditable, fell short of the potential and expectations of the Campos Racing driver, who is now sixth in the championship with 34 points.
“The weekend was not the most fortunate, especially because we had speed to be among the first and achieve good results, but despite that we found ourselves with totally adverse situations that prevented us from scoring more points. There are still many races left and there will be more favorable opportunities ”, summarizes Martí.
The Catalan driver will try to return to the top positions in the third round of the Spanish F4, scheduled for July 17th and 18th at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve (Portugal).
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