MATHIEU MARTINS – THE ART OF WINNING THROUGH STRATEGY

The 2025 Supercars Endurance season will go down as one of the most competitive in recent years, and at the heart of that battle was Mathieu Martins. At the wheel of the Racar Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, the Portuguese-French driver secured the Iberian Supercars GT Drivers’ title, as well as the GT and GT4 Pro crowns in Supercars España, prevailing in a field where the margin for error was minimal.

Throughout the year, he faced formidable opposition in César Machado, Tomás Guedes and José Carlos Pires, the Speedy Motorsport trio, as well as Francisco Mora and Francisco Abreu from Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal, all racing the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, in a championship where outright pace was rarely enough to decide the outcome.

With full grids, highly competitive cars, teams and drivers, and constant strategic variations, Mathieu Martins’ success was built far from any notion of outright dominance. Instead, it was a campaign defined by cool-headed race reading, capitalising on opportunities, and a level of consistency that ultimately proved decisive in a short, demanding calendar that punished mistakes severely.

Consistency as the foundation of success

From the very start of the season, the approach was clear, and Mathieu Martins acknowledges that the championship was won more through management than an obsessive pursuit of victories: “From the beginning of the season we knew that, more than pure speed, consistency across the championship would be the decisive factor. We had a well-balanced package, with a reliable and competitive car, and from day one we adopted a realistic and strategic approach, focused on extracting maximum performance in all conditions.”

That philosophy translated into a solid championship build, based on regularity and maximising results even when victory was out of reach.

“We knew that winning every race was not a realistic objective, but scoring points consistently was essential. The numbers make that very clear: we only won one race, but we finished on the podium in 11 of the 12 races. The championship was built far more on management and decision-making than on a constant hunt for wins”, said the Racar Motorsport driver.

Mathieu Martins summed up that approach with a phrase that came to symbolise the entire season: “As Rick Mears used to say, ‘To finish first, first you must finish’. That quote stayed with us throughout the year and made the difference in the final result.”

Vila Real, the most delicate moment of the season

Among the many tense moments experienced over the season, Vila Real stood out as the most delicate, both from a sporting and emotional perspective. On a demanding street circuit, Mathieu faced challenges that were far from routine.

“Without a doubt, the most delicate moment of the season was Vila Real. It was my first time on such a legendary and demanding circuit, with a lot of family present, which added even more pressure to the weekend”, admitted the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy member.

Mistakes made during Friday practice forced an extraordinary effort from the team and placed the driver under significant psychological strain: “I made two mistakes and hit the barriers, causing significant damage to the car. That affected me a lot mentally, especially knowing the team had to work through the night to get the car ready.”

Qualifying became a true test of composure, further complicated by technical issues that drastically reduced the margin for manoeuvre. “We had an alternator problem, which meant I effectively had only one real shot at a qualifying lap. Going back through the scene of the accident with no margin for error was not easy”, explained the Portuguese-French driver. Even so, he secured third place on the grid, a result that proved crucial in context: “Keeping a cool head, trusting the team’s work and focusing only on the essentials was a key decision of the season. Those points ended up carrying enormous weight in the championship.”

Competitive maturity and a holistic view

Over the course of the season, Mathieu Martins also stood out for the way he managed situations of extreme pressure, on-track recoveries and even internal team changes. The change of team-mate, with Brazil’s Roberto Faria replaced by Portugal’s Henrique Ventura Oliveira, was never seen as destabilising: “I don’t consider the change of team-mate to have been a problem. I always maintained the same mindset. Roberto is very fast and experienced, but I always had complete confidence in Henrique.”

In the decisive phase of the season, that stability proved vital. “He did a very solid job, was consistent and didn’t make major mistakes. That was exactly what we needed at that moment”, noted the overall Iberian Supercars GT champion.

The Portuguese-French driver’s racing style was also defined by conscious risk management, appropriate to a short and extremely competitive championship. “When you’re fighting for a title, the key word is optimisation. There are only six events and twelve races, with virtually no margin for error. Avoiding unnecessary incidents and knowing when to attack or when to secure the result is part of that approach”, emphasised Mathieu Martins.

In his final assessment, Mathieu Martins highlighted the collective nature of the achievement. “This title is not just mine. The team played an absolutely fundamental role, with a car that was always well prepared, reliable and competitive”, he stressed, before offering clear thanks to everyone involved in the project. “I want to thank all the team members, Eduardo Viegas as team principal, Racar Motorsport management Ricardo Antunes and Gonçalo Antunes for believing in me and providing the conditions to achieve this objective, and my sponsors. This title belongs to all of us.”