On the opening day of the new season’s Formula E championship — the São Paulo E-Prix — what should have been an exhilarating debut for 20-year-old Spaniard Pepe Martí instead turned into a dramatic ordeal. The former junior driver aligned with Red Bull Racing was making his first appearance in Formula E, having stepped away from the rival junior series Formula 2 and left the Red Bull driver program to embrace a career in electric-racing.
A nightmare debut
During the race, at a moment when the field approached a full-course yellow flag — prompting many cars to slow down suddenly — the cars in front of Martí braked sharply. He had virtually no time to react, and the result was catastrophic: his vehicle, a Cupra Kiro, crashed hard into the rear of the slowing traffic. The impact launched the car into the air, executing a terrifying somersault before slamming back to the track. As it landed and skidded across the tarmac, metal scraped and sparks flew. Moments later, smoke began to billow from beneath the damaged chassis — and then flames erupted.
Escape from the wreckage
Amidst the chaos, Martí managed to free himself from the cockpit almost immediately. Witnesses described how he scrambled out of the wreck, visibly shaken but seemingly unharmed. As track marshals scrambled to respond and extinguish the fire, the young driver moved swiftly to a safe distance. Despite the severity of the crash — the air-borne flip, the impact, the subsequent fire — Martí emerged without serious injury, though visibly shaken.
For Martí, what was supposed to mark the beginning of a new chapter in his racing career turned out to be a nightmare. Instead of celebrations or a promising start, he was left shaken, his debut effectively ended in ruin. The fiery crash overshadowed what had been billed as a bold move — replacing traditional junior single-seater racing with the all-electric, manufacturer-backed environment of Formula E.
A bold move — and broader trends
Pepe Martí’s decision to drop out of Formula 2 while sitting seventh in the standings — after two seasons with a record of four wins and nine podiums — raised eyebrows. Yet, the shift made sense in a rapidly evolving motorsport landscape. As many young drivers face intense competition for a shrinking number of seats in Formula 1, Formula E has emerged as an increasingly attractive alternative: a growing championship with manufacturer backing, global reach, and perhaps more stable pathways to a professional racing career.
Martí is not alone in making the jump. In recent years, a growing crop of youthful talents have chosen the electric frontier over the traditional F1-track pipeline. What might once have been considered a detour — or even a fallback — is now sometimes seen as a bold, forward-looking career move. The allure of manufacturer support, innovative technology, and global exposure in a championship that’s expanding both its profile and prestige is becoming harder to ignore.
A rough start — and what’s next?
For the entire team — identified in the article simply as “ERT Formula E Team” — the São Paulo opener provided no points. Martí’s crash meant a DNF (Did Not Finish), and his British teammate, Dan Ticktum, also failed to finish. A bleak start, to say the least.
Meanwhile, the race was won by Jake Dennis, who managed to avoid the chaos and capitalized on the mistakes and misfortune of others — including the fiery crash that ended Martí’s debut. Dennis’s victory underscores how unpredictable and merciless motorsport can be.
For Martí, the road ahead is uncertain. He’ll need to regroup — not just physically, but mentally — after this harrowing crash. The incident starkly reminds us that transitioning from developmental series to high-speed electric racing isn’t just about adapting to new cars and circuits; it’s also about confronting new risks. Still, given his talent, ambition, and willingness to embrace a new path, many will be watching to see whether he can bounce back — phoenix-like — from such a damaging debut.
