The 18-year-old driver leaves Monaco with significant experience after the misfortunes suffered over the weekend, which prevented him from scoring points.
Pepe Martí acknowledges that the data from this weekend is positive for the upcoming races.
"We have managed to gather a series of important data that will be very useful for Barcelona. I am pleased with the progress we are making in terms of preparation for the upcoming events. It's time to take a break and come back strong at home in a month's time."
This weekend, the Monaco circuit hosted the fifth round of the Formula 2 World Championship. Pepe Martí leaves Monte Carlo without points but with very positive work accomplished, from which he has gathered valuable information for the upcoming races.
"It was a bit of a tough weekend in terms of results, although it was actually the best in terms of performance and feeling with the car. It's a shame we couldn't capitalize on it to score points. Today's pace was really good."
Martí started the weekend with a productive free practice and faced qualifying with a good rhythm to fight for the top 10. However, a minor issue with the car, which he couldn't manage optimally due to lack of experience, relegated him to the back of the grid, starting from the twentieth position.
"In qualifying, we had a small problem that I didn't manage very well, and the car locked up on the first lap. Because of that, it was very difficult to go fast for the rest of the session. After that, I did one lap to get up to speed, and on the second lap, when I was much faster and aiming for the top ten, another driver blocked me again, and I lost my chance."
On Saturday, in the Sprint race, despite a great start where he climbed five positions, he suffered an accident in the early laps, forcing him to retire early.
"In the Sprint race, I had a good start, and we were doing quite well, we were fast. But it all ended when I hit a kerb and couldn't save the car. We had to finish earlier than expected," Martí commented.
In Sunday's main race, it was evident that Pepe's feelings were positive and that the work done could have taken him further if not for so many setbacks. After another good start, he managed to climb several positions, although the tyres and the difficulty of overtaking on the Monaco track prevented him from finishing higher than fourteenth. However, Pepe and Campos Racing leave Monte Carlo confident that they did a good job, which will lead to better results in the upcoming races. Additionally, the next round will be the home Grand Prix in Barcelona, where Pepe won for the first time on a Sunday last season in Formula 3.
"In Sunday's race, we had a very good first lap, gaining four positions, considering that overtaking here in Monaco is complicated and risky, but it worked out well for us. We opted for a reverse strategy, starting on soft tyres and then switching to hards, whereas usually, it's done the other way around here. We pitted earlier than usual to try and take advantage of the clean air, and it worked out quite well. However, stopping so early meant suffering more with the tyres in the second phase of the race, and that's how it was. I couldn't keep the others at bay. The tyres gave up, and there wasn't much more we could do. Although the result doesn't show it, it was a better weekend than the others. We managed to gather a series of important data that will be very useful for Barcelona. I am pleased with the progress we are making in terms of preparation for the upcoming events. It's time to take a break and come back strong at home in a month's time," Martí concluded.