Pepe Martí wraps up a positive weekend at Spa.

The Red Bull Junior Team driver finishes fifth in a Sprint race disrupted by multiple interruptions.

On Sunday, he claims fourth place after a challenging race, affected by rain, tricky track conditions, and several penalties.

“We’ve scored some good points, but we want more: we need another strong qualifying in Hungary and to fight for everything.”

Pepe Martí completed a positive weekend at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, scoring points in both Saturday’s Sprint Race and Sunday’s Feature Race, which was held under adverse weather conditions. The Spanish driver strengthens his place in the upper-mid section of the standings, reaffirming his progression in his second FIA Formula 2 season.

On Saturday, Martí started from fourth on the grid —his best starting position in the category to date— thanks to an excellent qualifying session on Friday, where he placed sixth. In typically cool Belgian weather (21°C ambient temperature and 35°C track temperature), all drivers opted for medium tyres. The Spaniard made a solid start, but a minor contact on the opening lap led to partial damage to his front wing.

The race was heavily disrupted, including another safety car period on lap 13. Despite the setbacks, Martí stayed composed, although both he and the team acknowledged that they hadn’t found the ideal setup for the car. Even so, the Campos Racing driver crossed the line in fifth place, securing valuable points and once again demonstrating his maturity and ability to handle difficult race situations.

"It’s been quite a positive weekend. We came away with a good number of points after a decent qualifying, securing sixth place. On Saturday, we struggled a bit with pace — both the team and I didn’t quite find the perfect setup, and we suffered a bit more than the other drivers. Still, we put in a solid performance and managed the race well to finish fifth," explained Pepe.

On Sunday, Spa once again revealed its most unpredictable side. The race began in wet conditions, with the rain gradually intensifying and forcing a rolling start behind the safety car. Martí started from sixth on the grid and lost a position in the early stages, dropping to seventh. However, the Barcelona-born driver quickly found his rhythm again and, after an overtake on lap two, climbed back to sixth.

As the race progressed, the rain became heavier, making both visibility and grip increasingly difficult. Martí made his pit stop on lap 12, but a slightly slow stop saw him temporarily fall to tenth place. Nevertheless, he maintained a strong pace and adapted well to the ever-changing conditions, recovering to fifth before another incident brought out the safety car on lap 19.

With just two laps remaining and following an engine failure for another driver, race control opted to show the red flag, bringing the race to an early conclusion. The classification was frozen with Martí in sixth place, securing another double-points finish for the weekend. However, several post-race penalties for other drivers promoted him to an eventual fourth-place result.

“In today’s race on Sunday, a clean start and some good battles early on. Following penalties for other drivers, we finished fourth. It’s a shame because I should have crossed the line in fourth place. We made a last-minute decision to change tyres, and there was poor communication between the team and me. We weren’t fully prepared for the stop and lost time. If it hadn’t been for that, we wouldn’t have finished sixth but further up, and after the penalties, it would have been a second place."

“It was a day to score 18 points and move closer to the championship leaders in the overall standings. Although we’ve clawed back some ground and are close, for Hungary we need to secure another strong qualifying and be fighting for everything.”

Next weekend, the championship heads to Budapest, where the Spanish driver will aim to maintain momentum and continue climbing the standings, currently sitting sixth with 85 points.