Interview
‘It would be very special’ – Martí targeting Campos Teams’ title as well as top three Drivers’ finish
After missing a top-three place in the Drivers’ Standings last season, Nerea Martí is determined not to lose out a second time around.
The Tommy Hilfiger driver has tasted success in 2024, earning three podiums so far. Fifth in the Standings on 101 points, she has a 19-point deficit to close on third-placed Maya Weug with two rounds remaining.
Although in her eyes the campaign hasn’t quite met expectations, Martí’s positive mentality remains unshakeable — whilst admitting that the prospect of her final races in F1 ACADEMY drawing closer has left her feeling very “sentimental” about the experience.
“I feel good, but I think it could be much better,” she reflected. “We are putting all the effort into these last races. The goal is to be in the top three, also I want to enjoy it (…) I want to savour all of these moments with the team, my family and everything.”
2024 is Martí’s second season in F1 ACADEMY and with Campos Racing. In comparison, the Spaniard achieved more silverware last year with six podiums, including one win, across the 21 races. However, she has yielded more points per race during her sophomore campaign, with an average of 10.10 points across the 10 races, as opposed to 8.62 in 2023.
Taking advantage of both last month’s test in Abu Dhabi and the upcoming running in Qatar, Martí remains confident that she and her team can make the strides forward they need — particularly in Qualifying, which has put her on the backfoot more often than she would have liked this season.
“(Testing) is really important because obviously I didn’t know the track,” she said of Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. “So firstly, to learn the track and to be here, it’s really good for the races. Then, to try setups on the car and to try long runs, performance runs and Qualifying runs, it’s really important for the races. Now we need to do it to prepare as best we can.”
Assessing what she needs to do to bring home a win, Martí added: “We need to do a good Qualifying because if we don’t do a good Qualifying — as happened in Singapore — you’re at a weakness because it’s really difficult to overtake and gain some positions.
“So, the Qualifying is really important. Then we need to have more pace in the race and that’s the thing that we need to improve for the last races. Today (in testing) we found a lot of positive things in terms of setup, so we need to continue to work on this.”
Looking ahead to the double-header finale, Martí recognises that her performances will be more important than ever, not only to her dreams of the top three but also to aid compatriots Campos in their Teams’ title fight.
Third in the Teams’ Standings, 59 points adrift of leaders PREMA Racing, Martí and her teammates Chloe Chambers and Carrie Schreiner will have their work cut out for them. Despite this, she believes that with their baseline pace, there’s no reason they can’t bridge that deficit and end the year victorious.
“It means a lot to be honest,” she admitted. “To be in the top three would be a good goal for this season and I’m really working for it, it’s our main goal.
“For me, of course, it would be very special to win (the Teams’ title) with Campos. They are from Valencia, so I’m really happy to be with them. They’re helping us a lot, and Adrián (Campos Jr) and the team are really nice. Chloe and Carrie are also doing a really good job, so let’s work on it for the last two rounds and let’s see if we can take the win.”