Victor Martins leaves F2 to join Alpine’s WEC Hypercar programme

Formula 2 race winner Victor Martins will reunite with Alpine in 2026, joining its Hypercar programme in the World Endurance Championship.

Martins spent a large part of his junior career as part of Alpine’s driving academy, winning the Formula 3 title on his second attempt in 2022.

He spent the next two seasons racing in F2 under the Alpine umbrella in 2023-24, before joining forces with Williams last season and making his Formula 1 practice debut at the Spanish Grand Prix.

However, after just one year as part of the Williams Academy, he will return to Alpine in 2026, albeit in a role focused on sportscar racing.

While the French manufacturer hasn’t revealed which of the two A424 LMDh prototypes Martins will drive in the WEC, he will essentially fill one of the two vacancies caused by the departures of Mick Schumacher and Paul-Loup Chatin.

“Joining Alpine Endurance Team in the FIA World Endurance Championship is a significant step in my career and a responsibility I take very seriously,” Martins commented. “Alpine is a brand with a strong racing heritage and clear ambitions at the highest level of endurance racing.  

“Competing in my first 24 Hours of Le Mans with this team is a huge motivation, and I’m looking forward to working closely with everyone to push performance, build consistency and contribute to the long-term success of the programme.”

#36 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Jules Gounon, Victor Martins

Martins makes the switch to sportscar racing after three mixed seasons with ART in F2 during which he won three races and scored 17 podiums, but wasn’t able to improve on the fifth-place championship finish from his rookie year.

However, he already has experience of the Oreca-based Alpine LMDh, having taken part in the Bahrain post-season test at the end of 2024 and set the third-quickest time among the rookies.

“We are obviously very pleased with this collaboration, which represents a strong and exciting opportunity for the project,” said Alpine team principal Philippe Sinault. “Victor will bring us his natural speed, but also his experience at the highest level and his technical understanding, all of which will allow us to continue progressing collectively.

“Since Victor took part in the 2024 rookie test with the A424, there has been a clear mutual desire to work together. We share the same mindset and approach, and I have no doubt that his integration into the team will be swift and that he will very quickly be able to contribute to improving our overall performance.”

So far, Alpine has only confirmed that new signing Antonio Felix da Costa to be joining the #35 A424, while Frederic Makowiecki has been listed as returning in the #36 entry.

In 2025, Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi raced the #35 car that won at Fuji, while Schumacher, Makowiecki and Guonon piloted the #36 car.

Chatin has departed the team to join Genesis’ new Hypercar programme, while Schumacher has left WEC altogether to race in IndyCar with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Alpine set to shift aero philosophy with 2026 WEC LMDh overhaul

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