Williams has announced that 2022 Formula 3 champion Victor Martins is joining its Academy.

Martins has an impressive racing record, having won the closely contested 2022 F3 title, securing victory at the finale in Monza. The season saw the Frenchman achieve two wins, six podiums and one fastest lap.

Graduating to Formula 2 in 2023, he closed the season as top rookie and helped ART Grand Prix win the Teams' Championship alongside teammate Theo Pourchaire. He continued in Formula 2 for 2024, stepping onto the podium five times across the season, including one victory in the Barcelona Sprint.

Martins will remain with ART Grand Prix racing in Formula 2, joining existing Williams Racing Academy Driver Luke Browning who drives for Hitech GP in the series. Both drivers will be taking the wheel of the FW45 as part of the TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme in Monza this weekend.

As an Academy driver, Martins, a former member of the Renault Sport Academy and subsequently the Alpine Academy, is set to receive training and guidance to continue refining his skills on and off the track.

He joins an expanding roster of future stars that Williams is investing in through the Academy and builds on the tradition of giving young talent a path into F1, most recently seeing Franco Colapinto graduate to an F1 race seat. The Academy aims to support drivers throughout every stage of the motorsport ladder, working with them to develop the necessary skills to race at the highest level.

"I'm super happy to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy!" said Martins. "This is a new chapter for me, but my goal remains the same - to push myself to the limit, both as a person and as a racing driver, and to make it to Formula 1.

"Williams is an iconic team with an incredible history, and I'm confident this is the best place to be to help me achieve my goals. This year, I'll put all my focus into winning the Formula 2 Drivers' Championship with ART Grand Prix and maximising this opportunity with the Driver Academy both on and off the track. I look forward to working with everyone at Williams as we embark on this new journey together."

"We're thrilled to welcome Victor to the Academy," added Sven Smeets, Sporting Director, Atlassian Williams Racing. "He has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a talented driver who is capable of winning championships. We will continue to support Victor's development on and off the track as part of the Academy and look forward to working with him in 2025."