Pepi Marti stormed to victory from P11 in the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race at the 2025 Bahrain GP.
From P11 To Victory
“It was a crazy race from start to end,” reminisced Marti, letting his charge from P11 to the top step of the podium at the 2025 Bahrain GP sink in.
“I think we managed it pretty well. I was just taking my chances and in the last few laps, it was a lottery,”admitted the Spanish driver.
“There was not much I could do, I was just going into the corner […] I’m going to try and get a switchback, it could have worked, it could have not worked. Today it went my way.”
Competing in his second year of FIA Formula 2, whilst also continuing his relationship with Campos Racing, Marti has experienced his share of chaos in the series. Saturday’s Sprint Race at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix was no exception.
A late Safety Car saw Marti in sixth position just laps before the end.
“I think in restarts, especially on a track like this where overtaking is quite easy, you’re looking around 360 degrees. Eventually, it was three wide with Alex [Dunne] on my right, Luke [Browning] on my left, Richard [Verschoor] in front, so it was complete mayhem.”
Claiming the lead of the race into Turn 1 on the final lap, Marti took his first win of the year in style, ahead of Richard Verschoor and Joshua Durksen.
“I think I made the right choices, I think I took all the right decisions. I think that’s something that I’ve always been quite good at, driving through the right decisions in wheel-to-wheel racing.”
Championship Chances
“It’s 10 points, it’s not 25, so it’s not meaningless, but it’s quite meaningless ahead of the Championship fight,”Marti admitted, already considering what his position is in this season’s title fight.
“I know that […] it’s points you keep racking up, and in Australia we were lucky that we didn’t have a feature race because […] I don’t think we would have scored many points.”
Marti finished eighth in Australia’s Sprint Race, with adverse weather conditions cancelling Sunday’s Feature Race.
However, after qualifying in 16th, Marti recognises the difficulties of capitalising from that position in the field.
“I don’t think my issue is a matter of race pace, I think it’s a matter of on the last [Qualifying] lap, putting it altogether. If I work on that, I think I can clearly be a Championship contender.”
Consistency is key in any series, with 2024 FIA Formula 3 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli proving that as he won the Championship, despite not winning any races during the season.
Therefore, it is undermined what the role of confidently building up consistent points has on a driver, and their charge for the Championship title.
With Marti recognising this, his potential to come out on top at the end of the 2025 season, if he is also able to score consistently in Sunday’s Feature Races, is undeniable.
“I think we have a lot of pace and today proved that.”
Welcomed Support
Current Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver, and 2024 Formula 2 teammate, Isack Hadjar was eagerly waiting for Marti in parc ferme, with both drivers embracing each other into a hug.
“He’s a good friend of mine. We bonded really well last year, he was a great teammate to me even when he was P2, P1, fighting for wins and I was sitting close to the edge of the points or fighting for points.”
Hadjar, the fellow Red Bull junior, graduated to Formula 1 this year, with Marti reminiscing on the close relationship that they have both on and off track.
“He was always like […] trust in your talent, because in the end he knows me. He’s known me since go-karting, we fought in FRECA, we fought in a lot of different Championships, and we were always on par with one another. To be honest, for him to come and congratulate me, even his dad was there, I have a lot of appreciation for him and his family […] it means a lot. He’s a great guy, I’m really happy that he’s doing so well in F1, it’s so surprise to me.”
Like Hadjar, Marti is part of the Red Bull family, entering the Junior Team in August 2023.
“They’ve been a really big help […] especially this year, following how tough 2024 was for them to keep their trust in me and support me,” Marti expressed.
The Spanish driver finished his rookie Formula 2 season in 14th, celebrating one win, four podiums and 62 points in total.
“Them putting their trust in me almost pushes me […] because I have talent to do what I’m doing. I’m hoping I can make this race a standard for my performance, that I can build this kind of performance into Qualifying because […] it’s what’s keeping me behind from fighting for the top three.”
The Team Game
It was a winning Saturday for Campos Racing, with Nikola Tsolov winning the Sprint Race in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
“We’re not necessarily riding the high, but we’re very confident in what we’re doing. I think it’s just a matter of doing the right thing at the right time.”
A strong relationship has always been evident between Marti and Campos Racing, with the driver competing with the team throughout his Formula 2 and Formula 3 campaigns.
“Campos has excelled at that for a very long time, and I think they’re a very strong team, we’re a very strong team.”
A successful weekend only builds morale and momentum, which are crucial characteristics this early in the season.
For Campos Racing, the 2025 Bahrain GP acts as a welcomed boost for the team, but for Marti and the rest of their drivers.
“After yesterday, just disappointment in Qualifying to come back like this […] finish P1 and obviously take a trophy back home on the first race of the weekend and of the double-header is very special.”
The 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship continues this weekend in Saudi Arabia.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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