Victor Martins: "Philippe Sinault told me to fully enjoy my first outing on the Mulsanne Straight."

Victor Martins is experiencing the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time this year. The newcomer is thoroughly enjoying his first participation in the Sarthe classic.

Victor Martins is discovering a new world this week. The French driver has the opportunity to discover the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Alpine after years in carNaturally, the scale of such an event surprised the person who shared the A424 No. 36 with Frédéric Makowiecki and Jules Gounon.

« I think what surprised me most was everything that happened before the race. explains Victor Martins. Usually in single-seaters, you arrive on Wednesday or Thursday and you're off. Here, I arrive on the Friday of the previous week, and there are still long days before the green flag. The parade downtown, the interaction with the fans, the media requests—it's really demanding. You have to make sure you rest, conserve your energy. It's still ongoing, and I have to manage it until the race. Then, racing on a 13km circuit is obviously very different—I think the longest I'd done before was 7km. The stints are 45 minutes… it's something unique. And on Sunday, there were already huge crowds—I wasn't expecting such a turnout. It's going to get even bigger, I think. But we take that energy and use it. Philippe told me to fully enjoy my first outing on the Mulsanne Straight—and I did. I gave myself time to savor it. »

« I feel very good, adds the man who is also a test pilot at Williams en F1It would be wrong to say otherwise! I'm really happy to be here, with this team, with AlpineIt's been a long week—but honestly, it's been a pleasure. The fans, the interactions, the paddock life… You have to take things one step at a time, day by day. On Sunday, I had time to get to know the car, the circuit, the specific corners of Le Mans. I really enjoyed it. I felt that the adaptation would happen quite quickly. We still have a long week ahead of us. Today will be crucial for building a solid car for the race, but also for being confident in qualifying—the goal is to make it into Hyperpole and start on the front row. The team and its preparation, the motivation I feel… I feel at home here in France, in a French team. It will be a first—there's still a lot to learn—but I have good teammates and experienced people around me. »

See you at 18:45pm for the start of qualifying for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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