Williams will run a different name on its Spa-Francorchamps paperwork this weekend, with Victor Martins drafted in as the team’s reserve driver for the Belgian Grand Prix while Luke Browning is away racing in Japan’s Super Formula Championship.
It’s a neat snapshot of what modern junior programmes actually look like in 2026: less about sitting around in a garage waiting for a freak call-up, more about juggling real-world mileage wherever it can be found, and trusting the factory to keep the F1 side moving when a calendar clash lands.
For Williams, the switch is straightforward. Browning is committed to Round 4 of Super Formula, so Martins takes the trackside reserve role at Spa — his second time doing so this season after also fulfilling the duties at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Martins’ route to this point has been fairly direct. He joined Williams last year after coming through Alpine’s junior structure, signing on with the Williams Driver Academy in 2025. His first taste of an official F1 weekend came in a Friday practice outing at the Spanish Grand Prix last season, where he stepped in for Alex Albon as Williams ticked off one of its required rookie sessions.
Now 25, Martins has stepped up to a test and development driver position at Grove for 2026, working with Albon and Carlos Sainz from the factory on car development and setup work during race weekends. Spa, then, isn’t so much a ceremonial promotion as it is another rep in the kind of behind-the-scenes role that teams increasingly rely on as simulation tools, correlation work and weekend preparation get ever more intertwined.
Williams confirmed the change in a short statement ahead of the event, noting Martins’ Canadian appearance and the ongoing work he’s been doing with the race drivers from base.
Heading to Spa as Reserve Driver 🇧🇪🤝
Victor Martins will fulfil the role this week – great to have you back trackside with us 👋pic.twitter.com/HG1dpkEVvE
— Atlassian Williams F1 Team (@WilliamsF1)July 13, 2026
Martins won’t be the only familiar “new” face in the Spa garages, either. Aston Martin has also confirmed a planned Friday change, with Fernando Alonso set to sit out FP1 as Jak Crawford takes over the Spaniard’s AMR26 for the opening session.
For Crawford, it marks his third FP1 appearance of the 2026 season — the kind of steady, incremental exposure teams like to give when they’re assessing a driver’s readiness while still protecting the main weekend programme. Aston Martin announced the plan on social media, framing it simply as another step in Crawford’s third-driver duties.
The timing of both moves is hardly accidental. Spa remains one of the more demanding venues on the calendar in terms of confidence, commitment and rhythm — and it’s also a place where teams can learn plenty even in a single practice hour, particularly when they’re disciplined about run plans and data gathering. A reserve driver on site isn’t just insurance; they’re another set of hands and another set of eyes, ready to plug into the operational machine if required.
For Williams, having Martins trackside while Browning races elsewhere keeps both sides of its driver pipeline active: one continuing to build a CV in a highly competitive single-seater championship, the other embedded in the F1 environment and staying sharp on procedures, briefings and the constant churn of race weekend work. In an era where juniors can’t afford to go quiet for half a season, it’s a practical trade-off — and, for Martins, another chance to be seen doing the unglamorous bits that often decide who gets trusted with bigger opportunities later.
