Photo: Williams Racing
Williams has signed up Victor Martins to its Formula 1 young driver academy following his split from Alpine.
Martins left the Alpine Academy at the beginning of 2025, amid the signings of Franco Colapinto, Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa as reserve drivers, having been supported by the Enstone-based team through six of his last seven seasons of racing.
While the Frenchman began his third season in Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix in Australia earlier this month racing independently of any F1 team, he has quickly been signed by Williams.
He will already drive the team’s FW45 car from 2023 under its new testing of previous car (TPC) programme alongside fellow F2 racer Luke Browning at Monza this weekend.
“I’m super happy to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy,” Martins said. “This is a new chapter for me, but my goal remains the same – to push myself to the limit, both as a person and as a racing driver, and to make it to Formula 1.
“Williams is an iconic team with an incredible history, and I’m confident this is the best place to be to help me achieve my goals.
“This year, I’ll put all my focus into winning the Formula 2 drivers’ championship with ART Grand Prix and maximising this opportunity with the Driver Academy both on and off the track.
“I look forward to working with everyone at Williams as we embark on this new journey together.”
Williams sporting director Sven Smeets added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Victor to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a talented driver who is capable of winning championships.
“We will continue to support Victor’s development on and off the track as part of the Academy and look forward to working with him in 2025.”