The Spanish driver finished seventh in the Sprint race of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after a determined race, scoring points, in a session in which he did not have DRS past the halfway mark.
Martí sits sixth in the overall Formula 2 standings, in his first year in the category, and hopes to continue learning in the next round in Melbourne.
"It was a tough weekend. We knew we couldn't expect the same as in Bahrain, it's logical that we weren't going to be in the same situation (...) Now it's time to get home, train twice as hard and prepare Australia as well as possible. I think it's one of my best tracks and I hope we can pick up points and do a good job.
The Jeddah circuit hosted the second round of the Formula 2 World Championship, as part of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Pepe Martí arrived after a very sweet weekend in Bahrain, where he made a dream debut in the category. The 18 year old driver knew that Jeddah would be a challenge, as it is a street circuit which is not easy at all and where he had never driven before.
In Friday's qualifying, he qualified in eleventh position, in a day of learning the track, taking into account that there is only one 45 minute practice session before the qualifying session. However, the final grid position in both races was tenth.
On Saturday, the Sprint race took place. The Catalan driver made a good start and climbed up three positions in his pure style, again showing impeccable driving. Despite not being able to count on the DRS for a good part of the race, he managed to qualify seventh, adding two more points to his points tally.
On Sunday in the long race, the scenario was very different. Martí made a good start but on the first lap, a small mistake led to a spin, which forced him to retire and end the session early.
Being aware that these things happen in a race, and from his rookie position, Pepe hopes to continue gaining experience in the category and arrive in Australia more prepared. After a weekend of learning and having already completed two rounds of the calendar, the young driver has scored points in three of the four races held and is sixth in the championship with 26 points.
"It was a tough weekend. We knew we couldn't expect the same as in Bahrain, it's logical that we weren't going to be in the same situation. In qualifying I made a small mistake that cost us three tenths and if it wasn't for that, we would have been in the top three. Starting tenth, eleventh originally but finally I moved up one position, it was a bit more complicated as it is natural. In the Sprint I had a very good start, I was sixth, but from then on we lacked speed and I wasn't quite comfortable with the car. I couldn't do as much as I would have liked, but from lap 10 onwards we lost DRS and I made some mistakes as a result. I didn't have the same opportunity as other drivers to overtake. In the long race on Saturday, I had a good start, but on the exit of the second corner I made a mistake, giving too much throttle with too much steering wheel and the car went into a spin and I couldn't do anything to stop it. It's a great pity because we already knew several key points of the track on Saturday. The other team car that stayed in the race was going very fast and looking at it from the outside I felt very helpless and angry about the mistake. Now it's time to get home, double our training and prepare for Australia as best we can. I think it's one of my
best tracks and I hope we can pick up points and do a good job. We are sixth in the championship and there is still a lot to do. I have to improve a lot and keep working.
Pepe Martí and Formula 2 will enjoy a week off before heading to Australia, where the third round of the season will take place on 22-24 March.