Martinius Stenshorne on staying with Hitech TGR, signing with McLaren and why 2025 is an ‘important’ season

For Martinius Stenshorne, the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season is a big one, as the Hitech TGR sets his sights on contending for the Drivers' Championship.

It follows a rookie campaign in which the Norwegian showed a lot of promise, achieving two podiums all year, which included a victory in the Melbourne Sprint Race.

Stenshorne wound up 18th in the Standings with 38 points to his name and speaking in the Bahrain International Circuit paddock last month, he gave his view on what happened in 2024.

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“Of course, last year wasn't what we hoped for,” he said. “We were a bit too up and down, a bit too inconsistent, so we need to be better this year. But generally, I just have to be quicker.

“We have some strong competitors this year as well and we are working hard to be one of the front runners.

“This year, I know all the procedures better, and last year I didn't know some of the tracks, like Melbourne for example and Bahrain, but I know them now. It's nice to have experience, that's the main thing. I also now know the amount of preparations that you need for the race weekend.”

Stenshorne says there was a lot of time spent in the Hitech simulator over the winter, as he looked to right some of those difficulties from last year.

As well as that, he learned a lot from his former teammate Luke Browning, who wound up third in the 2024 Drivers’ Championship.

“He did really well last year,” reflected Stenshorne. “I couldn't be as quick as him last year, there were some things that I struggled with more than him as a first-year driver compared to a second-year driver. But I learned a lot from him that I have taken into my second season.”

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Alongside working with Hitech in the simulator, Stenshorne spent a lot of time karting to be ready for 2025. Like many drivers on the grid, he was introduced to the sport early, revealing that he started out when he was four years old.

He followed in the footsteps of his father, who also did some karting but was a rally driver, and his grandfather, who did some Rallycross.

The now 19-year-old has continued to hit the kart track as often as possible since then, to help keep him sharp between race weekends, but also because it’s something he enjoys.

On top of that, Stenshorne also runs his own kart, which is quite a lot of responsibility and maintenance, but only if you crash.

“I have my own go kart, I manage it all myself, so being a mechanic, then karting, so everything,” he said. “I started when I was four years old, and then I went up through the categories and then eventually into formulas, but I still really enjoy it.

“I do a lot, I have my own van, where I bring everything, so I manage it all myself which is something I enjoy doing when I am away from racing.

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“It's best if you don't have to buy any parts because that means you didn't break anything. It's just keeping everything clean and having everything ready when a test day is coming up.”

Part of Stenshorne’s rise through the ranks saw him compete in the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.

That year, he achieved 11 podiums, including five victories and finished second in the Standings behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Several drivers on the 2025 F3 grid were also part of the field, including Tim Tramnitz, Rafael Câmara, Alessandro Giusti, and his current Hitech TGR teammate Joshua Dufek.

Since then, there has been a lot of focus on that cohort, especially after Antonelli graduated up to Formula 1 this season.

“When Kimi goes to F1 I guess it's natural they will talk more about him than me,” said Stenshorne. “But I had a strong season that year, finishing second to him, also racing with Rafa and Tramnitz a lot.

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“I think it was us four racing against each other multiple times. It was an enjoyable year and hopefully I can be in front of them this year.”

That result in FRECA not only led to him stepping up to Formula 3 in 2024, but it also caught the eye of the Formula 1 world, specifically McLaren.

Ahead of Round 3 of the 2024 season in Imola, it was announced that Stenshorne and Alexander Dunne had become a part of their Development Programme.

The 19-year-old says the decision to sign with McLaren has lived up to his expectations, especially when it comes to how they have helped him grow as a driver.

“I knew that the process was ongoing since the end of my FRECA career,” he said. “Of course it was a nice thing to hear, it's not every day that something like this happens.

“So far, it's been a pleasure to be a part a team like McLaren, it's a dream come true. I have been there since halfway through last season and they have been helping me in all the aspects that I need help with, physical training being one of them.

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“We went there before Australia and it was nice. Also, they also have some people on track helping us when there is something we need help with, so they are really supportive.”

McLaren have continued that support into 2025, a season that has started quite well for Stenshorne. After two rounds, he is currently sixth in the Championship, with 20 points, having also finished second in the Melbourne Sprint Race.

Stenshorne is so far the only Hitech driver to score points, and he has been leading their charge not just in results, but also in helping them develop the new Formula 3 car this year.

Before the action got underway in Bahrain, Stenshorne gave his verdict on their performance.

“It's going alright,” he said. “There are some people stronger than us I think, but we were quite strong in Australia. We had good race pace in the dry and our wet pace was not too bad. But starting a bit further back, it's not always easy.

“I think we are working well together, I have the same people around me, so not much has changed. It’s just me knowing everything better, especially in the car.

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Having that familiarity is important for Stenshorne this year and played a huge role in his decision to stay with Hitech for 2025.

He has no doubt that it was the “right thing to do” especially for a season where the stakes for him are quite high.

“Of course, it's an important year for me, I know that myself,” added Stenshorne. “I have been working a lot to being doing as well as possible, I have been giving my everything every time I am out on track, so hopefully we can put that into results for the rest of the year.

"It's difficult to set an exact goal, but of course it's to fight for the Championship all the way and hopefully take it at the end, that's what we are aiming for at least."