Williams hand Victor Martins his F1 debut with Barcelona FP1 drive

Martins is a former member of the Alpine Driver Academy and switched to Williams in 2025. After success in karting, Martins made the move into single seaters in 2017 finishing second that year in the French F4 Championship.

Martins went on to win the Formula 1 Renault championship in 2020 and moved into Formula 3 in 2021 where he finished fifth in his rookie season. He went on to win the F3 title in 2022 driving for ART Grand Prix.

Martins made the move to Formula 2 in 2023 with ART Grand Prix and finished fifth in his rookie season. He was seventh in the 2024 F2 season.

Martins is competing in the 2025 F2 season with ART Grand Prix and is currently eighth in the drivers' standings.

The team said in a statement: "Williams Atlassian Williams Racing is pleased to announce that Williams Racing Academy Driver Victor Martins will take part in the first Free Practice session at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix this weekend in Barcelona, driving Alex Albon's FW47.

"This FP1 session fulfils the team's second of four mandated driver sessions this year and marks Victor's debut drive in a Formula 1 weekend.

"Victor is currently racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with ART Grand Prix, bringing some stand-out results in 2025 including securing Pole Position in Melbourne and stepping on the podium in the Saudi Arabia Feature Race.

"This follows two prior strong seasons in Formula 2, being crowned top rookie in 2023 and achieving five podiums in 2024, including a victory in Barcelona. The Frenchman previously impressed in Formula 3, where he won the closely-contested 2022 championship, securing victory at the finale in Monza. Across the season, he achieved two Feature Race wins and four further podiums.

"As part of his preparations for FP1 in Barcelona, Victor participated in the TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme in Monza earlier this year, driving the FW45 alongside fellow Williams Racing Academy driver Luke Browning.

Victor's participation in the FP1 session is part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy's proud tradition of giving young talent a path into F1, most recently demonstrated by Academy alumnus Franco Colapinto's graduation into an F1 race seat. The Driver Academy supports drivers on every rung of the motorsport ladder, working with them on and off the track to develop the skills necessary to race at the top level," the statement

Martins commented on the opportunity; he said: "I'm super happy to be taking the wheel of the FW47 for the first time in Barcelona!

"It will be an incredible experience to drive for the team. I'm working hard to prepare as much as possible to maximise my time in the car and make it a valuable session for myself and the team.

"I'm hugely grateful to everyone at Atlassian Williams Racing for giving me this opportunity and I'm looking forward to enjoying every second of it," the 24-year-old concluded.

Sven Smeets, Sporting Director, Atlassian Williams Racing added: "We're proud that Victor will be taking part in his first Formula 1 session with Atlassian Williams Racing in Barcelona.

"He continues to demonstrate that he is a talented driver, and this session is an important step forward in his career as part of the Academy.

"His participation in our TPC programme and simulator work in Grove have prepared him well and we look forward to seeing him in the garage this weekend," Smeets concluded.