Williams has named Victor Martins as its official check and growth driver for the 2026 Components 1 season.
The 24-year-old joined their junior driver growth programme final yr. He was briefly affiliated with Alpine, and can reunite with the producer this as he drives for his or her World Endurance Championship staff.
Martins made his debut in an official F1 observe session on the Spanish Grand Prix final yr. Nonetheless the 2022 Components 3 champion skilled a disappointing third season in Components 2.
Having completed fifth as a rookie with ART in 2023, then slipped two locations in 2024, Martins entered his third season with hopes of difficult for the title. However regardless of successful two function races he ended the season eleventh within the standings, seven locations behind fellow Williams junior Luke Browning in his first full yr within the class.
Martins will work alongside Oliver Turvey and Harrison Scott on the staff’s growth programme utilizing its driver-in-loop simulator.
Williams sporting director Sven Smeets described Martins as “a proficient driver who has persistently given invaluable steerage and suggestions to the staff, enhancing our on-track efficiency and supporting Alex [Albon] and Carlos [Sainz Jnr] all through the 2025 season.
“His latest expertise driving the FW47 in Barcelona and supporting the TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] programme offers him the real-world context to make actual impression on the event of the FW48 and future automotive programmes.”
Martins thanked Smeets and staff principal James Vowles for his new alternative. “Williams is an iconic staff with an unbelievable historical past and I’m excited to be a part of the mission to convey this staff again to the entrance of the grid,” he mentioned. The staff rose to fifth place within the constructors’ championship final yr.
View the present checklist of 2026 F1 drivers and groups
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