Williams make key F1 driver appointment to support Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon

Williams has handed Victor Martins a key role this season in support of F1 race drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.

After Martins was signed to F1 team's Driver Academy last year, for the coming campaign, he has stepped up into the role of test and development driver.

Alongside Oliver Turvey and Scott Harrison, the team states that Martins "will play a crucial role in advancing the team’s development programmes to support our F1 drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz as the sport enters an unprecedented change in technical regulations", which includes refining the state-of-the-art driver-in-the-loop simulator that went online late last year.

The Frenchman, who spent the past three seasons competing in F2 after winning the F3 championship in 2022, will combine his new role with racing in the World Endurance Championship for the Alpine Endurance Team.

On his new role, Martins said: "Williams is an iconic team with an incredible history, and I’m excited to be part of the project to bring this team back to the front of the grid.

"I’ve already had experience working with Alex and Carlos during race weekends, and I’m looking forward to continuing this work with the team in 2026. Thanks to James Vowles, Sven [Smeets, sporting director] and everyone at Williams for the opportunity."

Declaring Martins to be "a talented driver", Smeets added: "He has consistently given invaluable guidance and feedback to the team, improving our on-track performance and supporting Alex and Carlos throughout the 2025 season.

"His recent experience driving the FW47 in Barcelona FP1 and supporting the TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] programme gives him the real-world context to make a real impact on the development of the FW48 and future car programmes."