The first half of Martin Molnár’s 2025 British Formula 4 campaign concluded at Oulton Park, marking another milestone in the Virtuosi Racing driver’s rookie season. With a maiden victory and a first-ever pole position now under his belt, the Hungarian talent heads into the summer break sitting second in the standings and firmly in the title hunt.
Following his breakthrough win in the previous round — which also made history as the first-ever victory for a Hungarian driver in an FIA-sanctioned F4 series — Martin continued his momentum in Round 5 at Oulton Park by securing his first pole position in the category.
He didn’t just clinch one pole – he doubled up, topping both the fastest and second-fastest lap classifications in qualifying, doing so with dominant pace and a new F4 lap record around the circuit. This secured him pole position for Races 1 and 3 of the weekend. While he couldn’t convert either into a win, he still added another podium to his tally.
In Race 1, his main championship rival Fionn McLaughlin, who trailed him in the standings heading into the weekend, managed to beat him off the line. Despite putting the Red Bull Junior driver under intense pressure for the full race distance, Martin couldn’t force a mistake and had to settle for second place.
Race 2 featured the reverse grid format, with Martin starting from P12. However, a technical issue forced him to temporarily retire. Although he managed to restart the car and return to the pits and later the track, he finished outside the points.
Rain hit ahead of Race 3, and starting from the wetter side of the grid, Martin lost a position off the line. On Lap 6, he was among several front-runners caught out by a sudden downpour at the final corner. McLaughlin, Molnár, and Ary Bansal all went off in the slippery conditions, with McLaughlin colliding with Bansal, ending the latter’s race.
McLaughlin rejoined with a damaged front wing in P6, while Molnár dropped to ninth. The worsening track conditions triggered a red flag, allowing teams to switch to wet tyres. However, during the restart, the field was not released in the correct order, leading to a second red flag and an early end to the race.
At the time of writing, Thomas Bearman is classified as the winner of Race 3, with McLaughlin in P6 and Molnár in P9. However, the result may still be subject to change due to confusion over the classification order and potential procedural errors during the first red flag stoppage.
Based on the provisional standings, McLaughlin leads the championship with 168.5 points, with Martin just behind on 163 — a mere 5.5-point gap at the halfway mark of the season.
“The highlight of the weekend was definitely my first pole position — the entire team was thrilled. We had good pace again, and looking at the first half of the season, we’re roughly where we hoped to be,” Martin said. “Of course, it would be great to be leading the standings, but the title fight is still wide open with 15 races to go. I’m especially happy that we managed to score strong results even on circuits that didn’t particularly suit us.”
Ambitious goals, consistent execution, but the learning continues
Tamás Őry, managing director of Motorsport Talent Management (MOTAM), which has supported Martin’s career since 2021, was once again present at Oulton Park — just as he had been during Martin’s first victory at Thruxton — and witnessed firsthand as his driver took his maiden pole in British F4.
“It’s been a long journey to this point,” said Őry. “Martin performed really well in pre-season testing, where results don’t matter, but it was clear he was very competitive. Even during free practice sessions before race weekends, he was consistently quick. In qualifying, he was always close to pole, but something small was always missing. This time, everything came together.”
“He had pace in every sector, but now, for the first time, he managed to nail all three in one lap. The team actually celebrated this pole more than the race win — which shows how much it meant. It was a dominant performance, and an emotional moment after a long learning curve.”
The first half of the season has shown that Martin is up to the challenge of handling the extra pressure. From Round 1, he delivered consistently: 1 win, 5 second-place finishes, and 1 third-place — scoring points in 12 out of 15 races and only missing the top 10 once (in the DNF-affected Race 2 at Oulton Park).
“Last year, we intentionally kept the pressure off Martin. This season, however, with our eyes on the championship, we had to set higher expectations — and Martin accepted that. The big question was how he’d cope,” Őry added.
“We also need to consider that the first half of the season featured tracks that weren’t among his favourites. Yet, he’s been remarkably consistent, and we’re only 5.5 points off the lead — that’s nothing. It’s shaping up to be a two-driver title battle between Martin and McLaughlin.”
“The most encouraging thing is that we set realistic targets and Martin understands that the goal is to win the war, not every battle. That means consistent performance above all. He’s been on the podium at every round, didn’t retire from a single race, and only once finished outside the top ten. That’s mature racing, and that’s huge. Still, despite all the positives, we must keep learning. There are 17 races left, and we’ll use every one of them to improve.”