Victor Martins Leaves Williams Junior Program for Full-Time Alpine WEC Seat

Williams F1 junior driver Victor Martins is making a significant career pivot, leaving the team's young driver program to secure a full-time race seat with the Alpine Endurance Team in the World Endurance Championship. The move marks a major step away from the traditional F1 ladder for the 2022 Formula 3 champion, who will now compete in prototype racing, including the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Why it matters:

This switch highlights the challenging and often non-linear path to Formula 1. For Martins, it's a golden opportunity to compete at the top level of motorsport in a factory-backed program, a path that may have been less certain on the F2 grid. For Alpine, it's a strategic move to re-sign a proven, championship-winning driver they are familiar with, bolstering their WEC efforts with promising talent.

The details:

• Martins was formerly part of the Alpine Academy, winning the 2022 F3 title with the French manufacturer before leaving and joining Williams' junior program in 2024.
• He concluded his third season in Formula 2 this year, finishing 11th in the standings with one race win.
• His new role is a full-time drive in the Hypercar class of the WEC, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a centerpiece of his season.
• While he has no prior prototype racing experience, Martins tested Alpine's A424 hypercar in Bahrain at the end of 2024, giving him a crucial first taste of the machinery.
• Martins stated, "Joining Alpine Endurance Team... is a significant step in my career and a responsibility I take very seriously."

What's next:

Martins now faces the steep learning curve of mastering a complex hypercar and adapting to the unique demands of endurance racing. His performance will be a key storyline for Alpine's WEC campaign, particularly at Le Mans. This move effectively pauses his immediate F1 aspirations, but success in WEC could open other doors at the pinnacle of motorsport in the future.