Overview

• Victor Martins will make his Formula 1 debut in Friday’s opening session in Barcelona after finishing eighth in the current Formula 2 standings with ART GP.
• Williams Sport Director Sven Smeets confirmed Martins’s participation following extensive simulator work in Grove and TPC tests with last year’s FW45 at Monza.
• New FIA regulations obligate each team to run rookie drivers in at least four free practice sessions this season and Williams previously deployed Luke Browning in Bahrain.
• Alexander Albon will sit out first practice as Martins gains track time and race engineers collect data ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
• Martins joined Williams this year after graduating from Alpine’s junior program and is aiming to use the weekend to sharpen his skills in a current-generation F1 car.