Victor Martin: ROC is a chance to show my potential

      Victor Martin was once considered one of the most promising drivers of his generation, and in 2022 he confirmed this by winning the Formula 3 title on his second attempt.

      But when the French racer, who was already a member of the Alpine youth program at that time, switched to Formula 2, his business began to decline. He had only one victory each in the previous two seasons, and the last time he reached the top of the podium was last summer in Barcelona.

      But today's performances in Sydney brought Victor a small, albeit purely psychological consolation: together with Sebastien Loeb, he won the Nations Cup, representing France for the first time in the Race of Champions. And he did it in a very spectacular manner. Before the final races, the ROC organizers had to remove the chicane from the track, as it started to rain, it became slippery, and in these conditions, an extra obstacle only created additional difficulties and increased the risk of mistakes. And Victor took full advantage of it.  

      "I had so much fun! Winning on debut day is incredibly cool! Victor cheerfully shared after the program of the first day of ROC ended. – Winning the Nations Cup is a special achievement, it's another chance to show my potential.

      Of course, I turned to Sebastien many times for advice, including asking if it was possible to attack with full force on the bridge (where there was no longer a chicane). He said that the suspension of the car must withstand landing after the jump.

      I've already checked the draw results for tomorrow's Race of Champions: if I have to face Seb, it can only happen in the final. Let's hope that we'll chase him again tomorrow. In the meantime, I just know that I won't be spending tonight with the Australians!"

      Martin means that he will be uncomfortable in the company of the home team, because together with his teammate they defeated the Australian team in the final of the Nations Cup.

      In the entire thirty-plus-year history of the ROC, the Australians have never won the Nations Cup, but today they were closer than ever, and even on their home track. However, Victor's impressive jumps in the final stage of today's competition robbed them and their fans of that joy.

      Tomorrow, Victor, inspired by his first successes, will fight for victory in individual races, and a week later in Melbourne he will start the first stage of Formula 2 at the wheel of the ART team car.