The British F4 Championship heads to Zandvoort this weekend, marking the sixth round of the season. For Martin Molnár, who currently holds P2 in the drivers’ standings, the trip to the Dutch circuit represents more than just the next stop on the calendar – it’s a return to his favourite track and the starting point for the second half of his title campaign.
Just like last season, Zandvoort is the sixth round of the ten-race calendar. But for Martin, the home of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix holds special memories – it was here in 2024 that he not only claimed his first podium finish, but also delivered a historic result for Hungarian motorsport by becoming the first Hungarian to reach the rostrum in an FIA-sanctioned F4 series. Since then, Martin has added more milestones: he was crowned rookie champion last year, and this season has already secured race wins and pole positions as he battles for the overall crown. Still, Zandvoort remains close to his heart.
“After the F1 weekend at Silverstone, I did some coaching in karting, then trained mostly at home and fulfilled various commitments,” Martin said. “By early this week, I was already itching to get back behind the wheel. I love Zandvoort because it feels like a rollercoaster – so much elevation change and those banked corners make it a real driver’s track. Like many of the circuits on the British F4 calendar, it’s quite narrow, so overtaking isn’t easy, but I trust our pace. We were competitive here last year, and we were even stronger in pre-season testing earlier this year.”
Last year’s race weekend at Zandvoort was run in wet conditions, so Martin focused on onboard footage from the dry pre-season test to prepare for this weekend. He’s hoping for dry weather again to fully unleash the pace of his Virtuosi machine on the 4.259-kilometre circuit, which features 14 corners and a demanding, technical layout.
“Everyone’s had a bit of a break, so we’ll all be coming into the second half of the season refreshed and ready to push hard. I’m expecting close racing again at Zandvoort, just like at Silverstone. Virtuosi will be running three cars again, which helps me with data but also adds a bit of extra pressure. Some of my rivals haven’t raced here before, but I don’t think my experience from last year will be a major advantage – it was wet then, and at this level, drivers get up to speed incredibly fast. As the season progresses, the battles are getting more intense, and I’m really enjoying that.”
Representing the Hungarian Motorsport Academy (HMA), Martin enters the Zandvoort weekend with 163 points, just 5.5 points adrift of championship leader Fionn McLaughlin. With both Virtuosi’s Molnár and Hitech’s McLaughlin locked in a tight title fight, the second half of the season is shaping up to be a thrilling showdown.
The schedule of the Zandvoort weekend (GMT+2):
Saturday
09.30 – 09.55: Qualifying
14.00 – 14.20: Race 1
Sunday
10.10 – 10.30: Race 2
14.35 – 15.00: Race 3