Victor Martins to make F1 practice debut with Williams at Spanish GP

Williams junior Victor Martins will drive in an official Formula 1 practice session for the first time on Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Martins will take the wheel of Alexander Albon’s FW47 car, benefitting from the rule stating that each entry must be driven by a rookie at least twice over the season – totalling four FP1 outings per team.

Another Williams protege, Luke Browning, was in action on Friday at the Bahrain GP – with both youngsters having tested FW45 machinery from the 2023 campaign in Monza early last month.

“I’m super happy to be taking the wheel of the FW47 for the first time in Barcelona!” Martins commented. “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.”

Alexander Albon, Williams

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Sporting director Sven Smeets added: “We’re proud that Victor will be taking part in his first Formula 1 session with 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 [Testing of Previous Cars] programme and simulator work in Grove have prepared him well and we look forward to seeing him in the garage this weekend.”

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Martins officially joined the Williams fold on 31 March after two stints in the Alpine Academy, having won Formula Renault Eurocup and Formula 3 titles in the past.

The 23-year-old Frenchman is contesting his third Formula 2 season with ART Grand Prix, but has largely failed to convert his pace into results, meaning he sits just eighth in the standings – 37 points down on leader Browning.

The Melbourne feature race was cancelled when Martins was due to start from pole position, and he was taken out of the main Monaco contest as he was completing an overtake for the lead, which triggered a monumental pile-up last Sunday.

Victor Martins, ART Grand Prix

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd