Continue reading with advertising …

… or with a subscription

Visit motorsport.com as usual with advertising and tracking. You can revoke your consent at any time via the data protection page.¹

Use motorsport.com without any advertising banners, personalized tracking and commercials for a small fee.

Accept and continue

More information about advertising and tracking in our Data protection notice, the List of our partners and in Data protection information center.

Already a subscriber?

Log in here

“Honestly, it’s not putting on any pressure”. That is what Victor Martins told Motorsport.com ahead of the Formula 2 season which he entered as one of the drivers tipped to battle for championship honours in 2024.

After all, he was the highest-placed 2023 driver to return for the new season, having finished fifth on 150 points, a total 20 greater than future Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman. This after winning the previous year’s F3 title!

However, the season has so far failed to live up to the lofty expectations with the opening five rounds ensuring that the rest of the campaign was simply a damage limitation exercise.

While this could, in part, be put down to the clear problems that ART was having in getting up to speed with how best to use the all-new F2 chassis, it is also possible that all of the pre-season hype had in fact crept under the Frenchman’s skin.

Ultimately, a run of just four top 10 results in the opening 10 races of the season derailed any hope that Martins had of gaining an F1 promotion, a possibility that became a genuine reality when Esteban Ocon’s Alpine exit was confirmed following May’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Alpine ultimately looked in-house for Ocon’s replacement, finally settling on Jack Doohan in August – but this followed what was widely viewed as a shootout test between the Australian and former F1 driver turned Alpine World Endurance Championship pilot, Mick Schumacher. Note the lack of Martins in this.

Jack Doohan will partner Pierre Gasly at Alpine for his rookie F1 season

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

While Martins had unquestionably suffered with poor luck in the early phase of the year – an engine failure in Bahrain, being caught out by red flags in Australian qualifying and being the innocent bystander in a Monaco lap one crash – there were also very costly errors from himself like a lap one crash in Saudi Arabia and a woeful qualifying at Imola.

Combined, this appeared to put Martins out of contention for a seat which, for many, was his to lose should it become available.

However, the Frenchman has since become a tantalising prospect once more, with an uptick in form seeing him become one of the F2 form drivers with four second-place finishes in the last eight races.

Now eighth in the championship, Alpine has seen enough to position Martins as its candidate for the WEC rookie test which will take place in Bahrain on 3 November.

Alpine endurance team principal Philippe Sinault said: “We have the opportunity to run Victor Martins in the Rookie Test session. He is an excellent driver we know well, Alpine Academy member and working a lot with the Formula 1 team in the simulator.

“We want to give him a new experience behind the wheel of an endurance prototype and he will be able to bring a fresh perspective to our Hypercar, which is always interesting at this phase of the programme.”

This could offer a potential next step for Martins, with only an F1 reserve role appearing likely in the short term.

And the chance of securing a WEC race seat is a realistic prospect, with recently appointed sporting director Nicolas Lapierre retiring from his driving role creating one opening, and the future of Schumacher and questions over whether Mercedes would allow Jules Gounon, who is the current reserve driver and has several outings to his name already, to complete a full campaign creating further space.

Alpine is fourth in the 2024 Hypercar standings

Photo by: Andreas Beil

Advertisement

Speaking of his initial opportunity in the test, Martins said: “I am super happy with this opportunity, and I am very grateful to Alpine Endurance Team for allowing me to continue learning in the world of motorsport.

“It is an opportunity for me to continue to build my experience with new engineers and a new car, as well as an opportunity to show my potential.”

But while the opportunity to compete in WEC and the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours are likely to be an enticing prospect, Martins conceded: “Although I am very focused on my single-seater journey, it is a challenge that I accept with pleasure and I hope that we will maximize the Rookie Test day, both on my side for learning, but also to allow the team to have good data as part of their development.

“I can’t wait to discover this Hypercar, which looks very fast!”

So is Martins the WEC answer that Alpine is searching for, or is he simply a box ticked for the rookie test?

Well, the answer is probably yes to both. He is the ideal answer to fill the potential driving void for the future and could likely become a top-level talent in WEC. But given that even in the statement released by Alpine confirming his test he is pouring cold water on the prospect of a switch at this stage of his career, it seems that a full-time crossover is not foremost on his radar.

While there is no harm in running a third F2 season, it is not something that is viewed in a broadly positive light, meaning that many drivers linked to F1 teams fall instead into reserve roles, with varying levels of testing programmes to keep their hand in and evaluate their F1 potential.

Just as was the case with Doohan, this is the most likely option for Martins.

So having answered yes to him being the ideal answer to Alpine’s problems – which he undoubtedly has the potential to be – the answer to the question, will he be the eventual answer, is probably a no at this stage.

Continue reading with advertising …

… or with a subscription

Visit motorsport.com as usual with advertising and tracking. You can revoke your consent at any time via the data protection page.¹

Use motorsport.com without any advertising banners, personalized tracking and commercials for a small fee.

Accept and continue

More information about advertising and tracking in our Data protection notice, the List of our partners and in Data protection information center.

Already a subscriber?

Log in here

Red Bull hopes that car modifications to assure the FIA its ride height adjustment device is not used under parc ferme conditions will be ready for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Milton Keynes-based team has been at the centre of technical intrigue ahead of this weekend’s United States GP after it emerged the FIA was ramping up its monitoring of a potential way that adjustments could be made to its car between qualifying and the race.

As first revealed by Motorsport.com, concerns had been voiced by several teams that a device Red Bull had inside its car allowed settings to be changed to alter the height of its front bib under parc ferme conditions.

The FIA is clear that there is no evidence Red Bull had ever made changes illegally, and the Milton Keynes-based squad is also adamant that it has always fully complied with the regulations.

However, from this weekend’s race in the USA, the FIA is being more robust in checking what teams are doing – and looks set to add seals to the Red Bull device to ensure that it cannot be moved once parc ferme conditions begin in qualifying.

Furthermore, following discussions that have taken place between Red Bull and the FIA, a plan has been agreed about further guaranteeing that it is doing nothing untoward – and it is understood that part of this involves the team making modifications to its car in this area.

Red Bull RB20

Photo by: Andreas Beil

Sources have suggested that the revisions are not something that can be done immediately, because the adjustment device is in an intricate part of the car, but it is hoped the changes will be ready for the race at Interlagos next month.

The height adjustment device is nothing more than a screw-type system that can be twisted by a mechanic with a tool to raise and lower the height of the T-tray.

All teams have such a system, although it is understood that Red Bull’s is unique in it being accessible from inside the car – so it is hidden from view to outside observers.

The outfit has also been open that it is not hiding anything, especially because the design of its adjustment device has to be published on FIA servers as part of the open source element of the regulations.

A senior team figure said in Austin about the adjuster: “Yes, it exists although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run.”

The device is not very easy to see, with it requiring a panel fitted to the cockpit to be lifted, to allow a mechanic to then reach within a recess to adjust it.

While this means it is not something that can be done quickly and easily by the team, the FIA is well aware that it is also something that could be done during the work that is regularly completed on cars after qualifying to prepare them for the race.

Andrea Iannone will make a surprise MotoGP comeback replacing the injured Fabio di Giannantonio at the VR46 Ducati team for the penultimate grand prix of the 2024 season in Malaysia early next month.

As reported by GPOne, the one-time grand prix winner has received the nod from Valentino Rossi for Sepang, with the agreement of Ducati’s Gigi Dall’Igna. The Italian, who last raced in MotoGP in 2019 before a drugs ban, will head into the Malaysian round without any preparatory test.

GPOne also reported that Ducati test rider Michele Pirro will get the substitute role at the Valencia finale on 15-17 November.

Di Giannantonio announced on Thursday that he would skip the grands prix in Malaysia and Valencia in order to undergo surgery.  

This news puts paid to rumours that Ducati’s WorldSBK rider Nicolo Bugela or Ducati’s satellite SBK rider Danilo Petrucci would step into the breach at VR46. 

Iannone raced seven seasons in MotoGP, including four with Ducati between 2013 and 2016, taking his only victory at the Austrian Grand Prix in that final year. After leaving the Bologna factory he raced two years with Suzuki before signing for Aprilia in 2019.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

That season, at the Malaysian GP in fact, Iannone failed a doping test, which led to a four-year ban that could have spelt the end of his top-level motorcycle career. 

Having served the ban, however, he returned to WorldSBK this season with Ducati’s Go Eleven team. He took his first victory at Aragon a few weeks ago and has announced that he will remain for 2025.

The final round of the WorldSBK season takes place at Jerez this weekend. Iannone heads into the finale sitting seventh in the championship.

Di Giannantonio’s decision to undergo surgery two races before the end of the season allows the MotoGP race winner to have work done on the shoulder he injured in an accident at the Austrian GP in August. 

Missing the final two rounds means he should return to full fitness for the start of the 2025 season, where he will remain with VR46 but benefit from an upgrade and ride a factory GP25 Ducati.

Reigning Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire will get his first run in a sportscar prototype when he joins Peugeot for the World Endurance Championship’s Bahrain rookie test next month.

Pourchaire is one of the two drivers to be selected by the French manufacturer to drive the 9X8 2024 LMH at the Bahrain International Circuit on 3 November, along with his former F2 rival Clement Novalak.

Pourchaire had previously revealed his ambition to race in the WEC, telling Autosport that he “watches almost every race” and that the Le Mans 24 Hours is an event that he “would like to do one day”.

However, there will be no immediate opportunities available at Peugeot’s Hypercar squad, which has already locked in its line-up for 2025 after promoting Malthe Jakobsen to replace new Porsche factory driver Nico Muller.

“For Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, these Rookie Tests in Bahrain bring a fresh perspective, even though reconditioning the cars after the race requires a lot of work from the entire team,” said Peugeot technical director Olivier Jansonnie.

“It is always very motivating and rewarding to see young drivers arrive with wide eyes, discovering the team, the car, etc.”

“We selected two different profiles. Theo is single-seater-oriented with an already impressive track record and is recognised as one of the single-seater hopefuls.

“Clement has more endurance experience with notable results in ELMS, particularly a second place in LMP2 at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. His statistics in this discipline impressed us. I think it’s an interesting combination.

#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Mikkel Jensen, Nico Muller, Jean-Eric Vergne

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

“They will be guided by Paul di Resta and Malthe Jakobsen, who also went through this process before being appointed full-time next season. It is always very interesting for us to get technical feedback from fresh perspectives.”

Pourchaire is still searching for a drive next year after admitting recently that he doesn’t have a “lot of money to put on the table”.

The Frenchman started the season in the Super Formula series with Team Impul, but ended up splitting with the squad after just one round when an opportunity came to enter IndyCar with Arrow McLaren.

However, his relationship with Arrow McLaren in IndyCar also turned out to be short-lived, as the team replaced him with Indy NXT graduate Nolan Siegel at around the mid-way point of the year. Pourchaire returned to the outfit for a one-off appearance at Toronto in place of Alexander Rossi, but has been out of action since then.

Novalak, who previously raced against Pourchaire in F2, also left the category after 2023 in favour of a new career in sportscar racing.

Competing for InterEuropol Competition in an ORECA-Gibson 07, he finished on the podium in the recent European Le Mans Series event at Portimao. A maiden outing at Le Mans yielded a second-place finish in the LMP2 class.