Pepe Martí has once again made a comeback in a weekend marked by another unfortunate qualifying that has not allowed him to score points in Hungary.
The Spanish driver hopes to turn the situation around in the next race and head into the summer break with a better feeling.
"It's a shame not to score points and go back home without having taken another step forward from the last race. However, we have tried to do our best considering my health condition, which has not helped. Looking ahead to Spa, the main goal is to recover 100%."
The winding Hungaroring circuit has hosted the ninth round of the FIA Formula 2 season. Pepe Martí was not at his best due to a fever, which prevented him from attending the track walk session on Thursday. The Red Bull Junior Team driver mustered the strength to be on track on Friday, although the final result was not as deserved.
In qualifying, an accident left him off the track, preventing him from completing the session normally, and he was out with 19 minutes remaining. He couldn't improve his 21st position, which forced him to start from that spot in Saturday's sprint race.
“It has been a very tough weekend. I made a mistake in the free practice, which reduced the number of laps we could do. The same thing happened a bit in qualifying. The grid position was not good at all and forced us to approach the weekend thinking about recovery,” Martí commented.
The races were set with the goal of regaining positions, something the Barcelona driver is usually good at.
In Saturday's sprint race, the Campos Racing driver made a great start from the twenty-first position, climbing up five places. However, he struggled to maintain a good pace for the rest of the race. Martí mentioned, “Saturday’s sprint was very difficult, we lacked speed, I wasn't comfortable and couldn't establish a good consistent rhythm.”
Sunday saw a similar scenario; he began with a good start on hard tyres, moving up four positions. Then, he gradually improved, and after the pit stop, he managed to finish the last laps in twelfth place, very close to the points zone.
“Sunday's race was similar, despite making a great start like on Saturday, where I gained five places and today four. We were well positioned but lacked speed. We improved little by little, and in the end with the soft tyres, we were able to overtake quite a bit, with good manoeuvres. We finished in twelfth place, close to the points. It's a shame not to score points and return home without having made another step forward compared to the last race. Nonetheless, we tried our best considering my health condition, which didn't help. Looking ahead to Spa, the main goal is to recover 100%.”
Formula 2 now heads to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps track, where it will face the tenth round of the season next weekend, on a circuit considered by many as the cathedral due to its numerous corners and elevation changes. It should also be noted that unexpected weather changes are often significant at this Belgian track.