End of the Formula 4 UAE for Pepe Martí in Dubai
- Josep Maria Marti Sobrepera
- May 5, 2021
- 3 min read
The Catalan has had a difficult weekend in the last round, but ends the Championship with positive feelings and prepared for the season in Spain.
The Dubai Autodrome hosted the last round of Formula 4 UAE last weekend. The first championship in Pepe Martí's career has come to an end with a date in which the results have not been, unfortunately, as expected. The general feelings at the end of the contest are, however, positive.
Qualifying sessions left him fifth on the grid for Races 1 and 2 and sixth for Race 3. In the first, however, he would finish third, as some of his rivals lost positions on the grid due to to penalties. Racing fifth, Martí tried to cut meters with the riders in front when one of them, after not seeing him on the outer line, collided with the Catalan, who suffered damage. Despite the touch, Martí tried to catch up to the third, but finally other riders came from behind. On the last lap, trying to secure fourth place, a rival attacked him from afar, knocked him out of space and couldn't help but collide with a rival and abandon.
In the second race, Martí finally came out fourth after one of the riders ahead on the grid was unable to participate. The Catalan driver stayed in fifth position for much of the race, which ended behind the Safety Car, near the end. Martí saw the checkered flag in fifth place, but was fourth because the race leader had a penalty to comply with.
The Spaniard started Race 3 on used tires, being the only one on the grid to do so. Martí could not find the rhythm and was overtaken by his rivals until he finished eleventh. In the last race of the season, however, there were options to come back thanks to the new tires. Unfortunately, the fire extinguisher was activated on the first lap, shortly after the start, and Martí suffered another abandonment.
With these results, Martí ends the season in seventh position. The pace has shown evidence that the Spaniard deserved more, and a host of incidents and errors unrelated to his driving have prevented him from scoring a good number of points, which would have allowed him to finish the championship higher.
However, the general assessment is positive: Martí has had the opportunity to have his first experience in Formula 4 racing and he has learned a lot over the course of these five weeks. The Catalan driver has enjoyed this debut and feels ready to face the Spanish Formula 4 Championship that will start next April.
"This last week has been a very frustrating one, after showing that we were competitive in free practice, poor qualifications left us fifth and sixth for Races 1, 2 and 3," said Martí at the end of the weekend. “Looking back, I am very happy with the progression we have made in this championship, we have improved a lot and we have a good base to continue working in the Spanish F4 Championship. I want to thank, first of all, my coach and my family for everything they do for me; and Xcel Motorsport for the work done during this championship ”.
Now, however, it is time for a well-deserved rest before continuing to prepare for the season. Martí has shown that he has the potential to do well in Spanish F4 and he will continue to work and strive to make that a reality. The season will start on April 10 at the Jarama Circuit.
