Victor Martins came into 2020 as the favourite for the Formula Renault Eurocup championship, and despite a shaky opening race of the season, the Frenchman delivered a superb campaign to deny Caio Collet by forty-four points.
Martins needed a sixth-place finish in race one of the season finale at the Circuit Paul Ricard to take the title, and the fourth place was enough for him to become the championships final champion. For 2021, Formula Renault Eurocup merges with the Formula Regional European Championship to become Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine – certified by FIA.
ART Grand Prix had already achieved their aim of taking the Teams’ title at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari seven days earlier, but Martins made it a great year for the team making a return to the category by clinching the Drivers’ crown. He rounded off the year with a second-place finish in race two to end forty-four points clear of Collet in the final standings.
Overall, Martins took a season-high seven victories and a record-breaking ten pole positions, and a 100% scoring record. His worst result of tenth came in the first race of the season at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, but after that he finished no lower than fifth in any of the remaining races.
“The target has been achieved,” said Martins. “It was a tough season with a great battle with Caio and R-ace GP.
“Our work has paid off, both with our serenity in the difficult moments and our ability to seize the opportunities. I want to thank the team for providing me with a car that allowed me to win this title and it is a collective victory.
“On a personal level, I am very happy with my development. I again learned a lot from situations that I had never faced in my career. I had always made small mistakes at crucial moments that prevented me from achieving anything in single-seaters until now.
“This title is a big step forward and I hope that this experience will benefit me in the years to come. I know that we can go very far with the people around me, so I am very confident for the future!”
British Racer Alex Quinn Celebrates Rookie Title
Whilst Martins was on his way to the overall title, there was another driver celebrating come the end of the season, with British teenager Alex Quinn claiming the rookie title.
Quinn was not initially scheduled to race for Arden in 2020, with Australian racer Jackson Walls having been signed to race for the British team. However, the coronavirus pandemic prevented him from travelling to Europe to race, with Quinn the lucky beneficiary of the seat.
In the early stages of the season, it appeared Spanish racer David Vidales would be the man to beat in the rookie standings, with the JD Motorsport appearing for the first time in the first Imola round and winning both races! However, consistency was key for Quinn, who won a race outright for himself at Spa-Francorchamps.
He took rookie victory in seven of the final eight races to edge ahead of his rival in the standings, and two fifth place finishes at Paul Ricard were enough for Quinn to become the 2020 Junior champion.
“I am extremely happy to end the season with the rookie title,” said Quinn. “I am even more pleased because we experienced a rough patch during the year, but the team bounced back very well and we always finished in the top 5 in the final four-week sprint.
“I want to thank them all for this fantastic season. My future is still to be decided between the upper categories or a comeback in Formula Alpine to aim for the title. Everything will depend on the opportunities I will have and I will have to make the right choices!”
